


And You've Got Me

by WinterRose527



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Sansa/Jon - Freeform, Family, I know I have a lot of WiPs, I'll attempt to make it slow burn but ya'll know I'm a sucker for a fast scorch, Jon Snow is a busybody, Sansa is perfect as usual, Single Mom Myrcella!, Uncle Robb!, and is strong and lovely, because they are endgame, except that their relationship is a given, obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-06-17 23:03:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 84,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15472086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterRose527/pseuds/WinterRose527
Summary: What happens when a beautiful single mom and a handsome devoted uncle meet? Well, with the help of some very adorable toddlers and some meddling friends - a whole heck of a lot.or; I'm shit at writing bios but this is going to be full of Stark family lovefests and Robb/Ella yearning so... you know, if you like any of my other fics you should read it.





	1. Chapter 1

_Of course_ , Myrcella thought as the coffee seeped into her light grey skirt.

 

It hadn’t been her morning. She’d woken before her alarm and padded to the bathroom in the dark, stepping on a sharp plastic toy on the way. Then she’d realised the power had gone off from last night’s storm, rendering a week’s worth of groceries inedible. Tommy had been in a mood, unlike his usual sunny demeanour, and even the pancakes they’d gone to get had done nothing to mitigate his sullenness. She’d gotten stuck in traffic on her way from the school and was running late, something she detested, for work.

 

She plopped her things down at her desk, reaching for the stain remover even as she pressed play on her voicemails.

 

“ _You have five new voicemails, to listen press 1…”_

 

It was only 8:30 and she was already behind.

 

***

 

 _Of course,_ Robb thought as he flicked through Jeyne’s instagram.

 

His ex was of the _show-him-what-he’s-missing_ school and ever since their break-up a few months before, she’d been posting ‘thirst traps’ as Arya called them - pictures of herself on a beach in Braavos in a thong bikini with the caption ‘grateful’, a video of her and her friends dancing at a club. They were always accompanied by a string of guys commenting below saying things like “God is a woman” and her girlfriends writing “Slaaaaay” a million times over.

 

The one she’d posted the night before though was a real doozy. A picture of her tucked under some chiseled guys arm with the caption “He’s okay I guess”.

 

It wasn’t so much that he _missed_ her. They’d had more than their fair share of problems, not the least of which that his family had _hated_ her, but they’d dated for two years and it still sucked to have it thrown in his face how easily she’d moved on.

 

He texted Jon back, agreeing to meet him at the gym later and turned his phone over, giving his attention to the people filing into the conference room. They hurried to their seats, nobody liked arriving to a meeting after their boss.

 

“So if you’ll all open your packets to page 2…” his associate started.

 

Without thinking about it he turned his phone back over to see if he’d received anything and only sighed after checking the time.

 

It was only 8:30 and he was already in a bad mood.

 

***

 

“And then we went to the park and I swung super-duper high,” Tommy said as she pushed part of his chicken and broccoli to one side of his plate, indicating how much he had to eat before he was desert eligible.

 

His time with Aunt Shireen after school had dispelled any remnants of his bad mood, as it always did, and he had been bright and sweet since she had arrived home a half hour earlier. Shireen was really her cousin, but they’d grown up as close as sisters, and she was Tommy’s second favorite person in the world.

 

“Super-duper high? That’s marvellous, baby,” she said with a grin as she tapped the table by his plate lightly with her finger. As if one of Pavlov’s dogs he immediately brought a bite of chicken to his lips with his little fingers. He knew how to use a fork, but preferred his fingers. As much as she was trying, manners hadn’t been his top developmental priority.

 

_Though some days its hard to get him to eat anything other than rice pilaf. Baby steps._

 

“Whats mahvelloos?,” he asked her, chewing and puckering his lips around the new word adorably.

 

He was only four, but loved learning new words from his book-worm mother. His vocabulary was eerily extensive for a boy of his age, and it matched his advanced awareness and empathy. He was still a little kid, prone to tantrums at times and afraid of the evil snowman in Frozen, but just better at articulating his displeasure.

 

“It means good, great, wonderful, lovely, _incredible_ ,” she says, finally taking a bite of her own chicken.

 

It was a new recipe that she’d tried out and she chewed thoughtfully. If she was the type of person who had dinner parties, she would have paired it with a fine chablis and harissa carrots, but she couldn’t afford chablis, fine or otherwise and Tommy liked baby carrots.

 

“You’re mahveloos,” he said, taking a thoughtful sip of milk.

 

She looked at him and smiled. There was no candlelight or fine linens, no creme brûlée or escargot, but she’d take a dinner for two on their chipped HomeGoods plates over a State Dinner any night.

 

“You too, baby, you’re my marvel,” she said, swiping his little button nose with her finger.

 

_You’re every wonder of my world._

 

_***_

 

“Come on, why do you make me ask you twice?,” Jon said with a grin as he buckled his belt, reaching into his gym bag to pull back on the white button up he’d worn to work.

 

“Have you ever considered that I’m not making you ask twice I’m just relenting to your begging me?,” Robb asked with a grin, buttoning his own shirt.

 

“You kill me, Stark,” Jon said shaking his head, “As if any man would need to be begged to eat your sister’s…” he paused while he rummaged in his gym bag.

 

“Do NOT leave that sentence there…,” Robb warned and Jon popped his head up from where he’d been looking at his phone and grinned.

 

“Cooking,” Jon finished innocently. Robb rolled his eyes. As Jon was the perfect husband to his sister Robb really couldn’t fault him for a little lighthearted teasing, except that he really, really could.

 

“I don’t know man,” Robb said shaking his head.

 

He loved going to Winterfell. It was his family’s ancestral home where Jon and Sansa had made their residence, his youngest brother Rickon still living with them. They’d offered it to Robb, but he’d declined, citing his desire to be in the city itself for work and for play. He’d told them he’d take it back from them when _he_ was the old married foagy but knew that he never would. Not because he wouldn’t get married, he would, if he found the right girl, but he could never displace them now. Wouldn’t dream of it. They always made him feel welcome though, and he spent most weekends there, especially since the break-up, though hadn’t last weekend because he’d been traveling.

 

“Come on,” Jon said, laying down his trump card, “Kitty’s been asking for you.”

 

Robb felt the warmth in his chest that he always felt from that name and Jon grinned, knowing he’d been convinced.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying this so far :) Here are a few key facts about the story.
> 
> Ages:  
> Myrcella: 23  
> Robb: 27  
> Sansa: 24  
> Jon: 27  
> Kitty & Tommy: 3
> 
> Tommy's father is not super relevant to the story. He may pop up later, but all that is really needed to know about him is that he isn't a part of their lives, and is from Myrcella's old life, back in King's Landing. 
> 
> This story will demonise Jeyne a little bit - so if you're a Jeyne loyalist please note she will be OOC - it isn't really about her per se, I just really loved the character of Talisa in the show and didn't want to write Roslin or Margery, so if that bothers you, please know it isn't really an attack on her. 
> 
> You got a description of Kitty in this story. Basically the most adorable little girl with Sansa's eyes and Jon's hair and that's her. 
> 
> Tommy has Ella's green eyes and sandy brown curls, and given that he's Ella's son is also incredibly adorable. 
> 
> I may bring in other POVs, so if there is anyone you'd like to hear from, let me know. 
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think so far!

“Baby you have to slow down!,” Myrcella scolded as she trailed Tommy through the hallways.

 

She straightened up when she entered the classroom, smiling politely at the other parents. She noticed the fathers all smiled at her, while the mothers did not, casting disparaging glances at her over their lattes. They all had fresh blowouts despite being in yoga pants, their 5 carat rings glimmering in the cold morning light, while she was wearing a navy blue shift dress under her trench coat, devoid of jewelry, and she was pretty sure she had a cheerio somewhere in her hair, she just hadn’t found it yet.

 

Twenty three and a single, working mother, she was never going to be the head of the PTA, but she really tried her best. She volunteered for beach day and always made sure her contributions to the bake sales were homemade. She offered to host playdates, though Tommy didn’t really ask for them that often, and never refused to be on pick-up duty.

 

Even still, she was treated as a pariah. Just as her mother had told her she would be.

“Kitty!,” Tommy shouted as an adorable little girl with dark brown ringlets and bright blue eyes walked into the room holding the hand of her father.

 

 _Kitty Snow_ , Myrcella thought. The little girl was practically all Tommy talked about these days, after she’d intervened when Wallace Bolton had stolen his toy. He spoke of her like she was a Warrior Queen, brilliant and brave, and Myrcella had to admit she was curious about the little girl who had captured her son’s heart.

 

She followed Tommy over, picking up his discarded backpack and swinging it over her shoulder.

 

“Tommy! Is this your Mommy?,” Kitty asked and then giggled at her own cleverness. The sound was innocent and infectious and it brought a smile to Myrcella’s face.

 

“This is Mommy, but you can call her Myrcella, or Ella…that’s what Auntie Shy calls her,right Mommy?,” Tommy asked, double-checking that he’d done right.

 

“That’s right, baby,” she said, stroking her hand in his sandy brown curls as he wrapped an arm around her leg. “Hi Kitty, I have heard _so_ much about you. I love your dress,” she said, kneeling down to get at eye-level with the little girl.

 

“I _hate_ it,” Kitty grumbled, causing her father to laugh, “But Mama says it makes me look pretty.”

 

“I’m afraid Kitty has taken after her Auntie Arya a little too much,” her father said, picking her up and holding her upside down by her ankles, much to the delight of the little girl.

 

“Auntie Arya is your favorite,” the little girl reminded him.

 

“Oh that’s right, except for one person…do you know who that is?,” he asked her, lifting her up and pressing kisses to her belly and making her shriek.

 

“ _Meeee_ ,” Kitty squealed, as Tommy buried his head in Myrcella’s chest he was laughing so hard. Myrcella was laughing as well, as it became abundantly clear that Kitty’s father was no more help to his wife than her sister when it came to curtailing his daughter’s wildness.

 

“I’m Jon, by the way,” he said, letting little Kitty climb onto his shoulders.

 

Like the other fathers he was dressed in a suit, but he was younger than many of them, no more than twenty seven she’d wager, and though she knew he was not one for socialising with the other parents, he was always the first one to volunteer to play with the kids. He was married to a beautiful woman named Sansa, who like Myrcella was younger than most of the other mothers, but had ingratiated herself with them much better.

 

 _A ring and a handsome husband can do that for a girl,_ she thought and then banished the thought immediately. It would do her no good to be jealous of Sansa Stark of all people, who was one of the only mothers who always made a point of greeting her when they crossed paths.

 

“Ella,” she said, standing up and pulling Tommy up with her. “And my Tommy is quite fond of Kitty here, proving his very good taste,” she said, smiling up at the little girl’s cherubic face.

 

“It’s mutual, if he were a few years older I’d have to be having a very serious talk with him,” Jon said with a lopsided grin, “But as it stands, Kitty has been begging us to schedule a playdate.”

 

“Oh Mommy please, pleeease,” Tommy said, putting his little hands on her cheeks, “Beautiful please?”

 

“How exactly does one say no to that?,” Jon asked with a sympathetic grin.

 

“Not easily, I assure you,” she said. It was nice to speak with another parent. Shireen was amazing with Tommy, but she was a normal twenty two year old, still in her last year of college. Her biggest life concerns were whether she could actually write a ten page paper in one night. “But um…my babysitter doesn’t really like playdates…perhaps some Saturday?”

 

That was a bit of a lie. Her babysitter loved playdates, but only because she got to charge more, and there was no reason Jon needed to know that.

 

“Tommy can come to my house! Nanny Mordane _loves_ playdates,” Kitty said and Myrcella couldn’t help but raise a skeptical brow at Jon.

 

“Nanny Mordane is _fine_ with playdates,” he corrected, “But honestly he is welcome anytime. There are always tons of people at the house, maybe he can teach my Kitty some decorum.”

 

“What’s decormum?,” Tommy asked her.

 

“Manners, baby,” Myrcella explained, “Like using your fork and saying _please_ and _thank you_.”

 

Tommy’s eyes widened in fear and he shook his head slowly, looking at Jon. “I don’t think I can teach her that,” he said solemnly.

 

Jon released a laugh, it was deep and surprised and brought a smile to her face just to hear it.

 

“An honest man, I like it. Well Tommy, you’re welcome all the same. How about today?”

 

***

 

Robb entered Winterfell at 5:30 on Thursday evening. Grey Wind immediately took off to greet Lady (his favorite), Ghost and Shaggydog and Robb followed him into the large kitchen.

 

His sister Sansa stood at the stove in a long sleeved grey dress barefoot, stirring something that made Robb’s mouth water.

 

“Hi Dove,” he greeted her, planting a kiss to the back of her head as he went to the fridge to grab a beer.

 

“Hi Robby,” she said sweetly. Too sweetly.

 

Sansa was by all accounts his sweetest sibling. She was his partner, always had been, especially after their parents died, but even still, his antennas rose when she used that saccharine voice.

 

He leaned his back against the counter, opening the beer and taking a sip, knowing that she’d broach whatever she needed in due time. Jon was traveling for work, so he knew it could be any number of tasks, from switching a lightbulb to hauling in a new entertainment center she’d bought.

 

“So Robb…,” she started and he grinned at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, “Don’t start, it’s hardly even a favor.”

 

“I completely believe you,” he stated solemnly and she giggled, holding the spoon out for him to try whatever she was making. It was a dirty trick, of that he was sure. Sansa was the best cook in the North and it was entirely unfair to lull him into joy before asking him to do something. Even still he took the spoon from her and tasted it.“I hate you.”

 

“New recipe, thought you’d like it,” she says smugly. He rinsed the spoon in the sink before putting it in the dishwasher and looked at her expectantly. “Well the thing is I’ve got to be on a call tonight at seven. I tried to change it, but apparently no one else on the board is a parent? So anyway…could you be on bedtime duty tonight?”

 

He rolled his eyes at her. _Hardly even a favor_ , was right. It was half the reason he was here.

 

“Of course, you never have to ask when it comes to Kitty,” he told her honestly.

 

Considering that he’d pull out his still beating heart for his niece, tap dancing all the while, making sure she brushed her teeth and cuddling with her as he read her _The Day the Crayons Quit_ was hardly an imposition.

 

He was surprised when Sansa’s face crumbled, tears pooling in her eyes. He set his beer down and rushed over to her, wrapping her in his arms. He hated to see his strong, kind sister so upset and it made him afraid.

 

“Dove, what’s wrong? Whatever it is, we’ll work it out, you’ll see,” he said, patting her hair.

 

“Sorry everything to do with Kitty is setting me off recently,” she said, but she burrowed into his chest anyway. “Hormones are the worst,” she added and now he could practically hear her smiling.

 

“Sansa are you pregnant?,” he asked her, pushing her away from him gently so he could look at her.

 

She gave him a watery smile and nodded, “Do you think Uncle Robb has room in his heart for another little Snow?”

 

He crushed her to him, rocking her back and forth, “As many as you’ll give me, Dove,” he pulled away from her, “You shouldn’t be on your feet though - sit, sit - I’ll finish up dinner.”

 

She chuckled at him, shaking her head and extricating herself from his arms, “You sound like Jon. I’m perfectly, perfectly well, and intend on staying so - which means I _really_ can’t put you in charge of dinner.”

 

He gave her a shocked expression and she scrunched her nose at him. _Another little Snow,_ he thought with a shake of his head. Another little boy or girl that would run into his arms when he entered the room shouting _“Uncle Robb!”_ , another little boy or girl who his parents would have loved so much.

 

It was logically one of the reasons that he and his other siblings devoted so much time to Kitty. She didn’t have any grandparents, Jon’s mother having died when they were in middle school, his having passed while they were in college. They never wanted her to feel like she was missing out on anything. So Rickon, who was still in high school, treated her more like a little sister, Bran, who was the farthest of the bunch, facetimed with her at least three times a week, sometimes to read her a story from the collection of bedtime stories he bought at the local bookstore, and Arya went to Wintertown University and came here as often as he did, often with her boyfriend Gendry who Kitty had recently taken to blushing around.

 

But then again, there really wasn’t any logic to it at all. They all just loved her fiercely, none more than Robb though, of that he was sure.

 

_“Uncle Robb?,” she asked, coming out onto the back deck, Grey Wind in tow._

 

_“Darlin’ you’re supposed to be in bed,” he said as she wandered out in her nightgown, ignoring him and crawling into his lap. “Your Mama will put me in a time out if she comes home and you’re still up.”_

 

_“You’re sad,” she said wisely, taking his face between her little palms, “Where’s Jeyne?”_

 

_This is one of the things he’d been worried about with the break-up. Kitty was so young, she didn’t understand that you could go from seeing someone to not seeing someone._

 

_“I uh, don’t think Jeyne is going to be around very often anymore,” he said to her._

 

_“You will be though,” she said it like a statement, but he knew it was a question._

 

_“Yeah darlin’,” he promised. “I’m never going anywhere.”_

 

_“Then I can cheer you up,” she said, and started making silly faces at him. There were a few new ones in her retinue and he couldn’t help but grin at her, standing up. She laid her little head on his shoulder and squeezed him tight, “Jeyne made you sad. I think it’s okay that she isn’t going to be around.”_

 

“Sansa?,” he said as he grabbed plates to set the table.

 

“Yeah, Robby?,” she asked, sprinkling in a little more pepper.

 

“Thanks,” he said and she looked at him questioningly, “For telling me. I know it’s probably too soon for everyone to know.”

 

“You’re not everyone,” she said simply and he felt the sudden urge to cry.

 

She looked so much like their mother it was eerie sometimes and his mom had always told him right away about each new sibling, pulling him into her lap, and saying _Now promise you won’t say anything but…_ She’d always trusted him, trusted him to look out for each new addition, to make the other ones understand that this wouldn’t make Mom and Dad love them less.

 

 _I promise, Mom,_ he thought, just as he’d told her so many times before, _I’ll look out for them all, just like you wanted._

 

***

 

She woke up to a blanket being awkwardly draped over her.

 

“Baby?,” she asked.

 

“Shh you fell asleep shh shhh,” Tommy whispered.

 

She smiled with her eyes closed. It was what she’d say to him when she was carrying him from the car or the couch after he had fallen asleep. They had been having their usual Friday Movie Night, but she must have drifted off. She’d hardly slept the night before, and had a particularly tiresome day at work.

 

She rose from the couch and picked him up.

 

“You take such good care of me,” she said as he wrapped his little arms and legs around her.

 

“Can we have a sleepover, Mommy?,” he asked her.

 

She knew that one day she’d have to curb this from him. It didn’t happen often, he was mostly good at staying in his own bed, but she could never deny him when she asked.

 

“Sure baby,” she said and brought him into her room, plopping him down on her queen sized bed and pulling the covers up to his chin.

 

She turned off the light and crawled in on the other side, breathing in the freshly laundered sheets. Tommy rolled over to her, crawling into her arms and she breathed him in too.

 

“Will you sing to me?,” he asked her.

 

She pulled him close to her and took a small breath, taking up his favorite lullaby. He was asleep before she got to the second verse, and she followed soon after, holding tightly to her whole world.


	3. Chapter 3

“And then the monkey bars,” Tommy said, “We have to do the monkey bars.”

 

“And see-saw, we _have_ to do the see-saw,” Kitty added.

 

“What about the swings?,” Myrcella asked, looking briefly at the two of them in their car seats.

 

After their wildly successful playdate on Tuesday, she and Sansa had made a plan for one today. She’d volunteered to bring Kitty to the park with her and Tommy, and when Sansa had opened the door with flour on her face and her younger brother Rickon trailing muddy footsteps through her hallway, she had felt like she’d made the right choice. The look of gratitude on Sansa’s face made Myrcella feel like they could be halfway to becoming friends, and she was secretly grateful that the beautiful Sansa with her engaged husband and adorable daughter was not _always_ on top of things.

 

“Swings are for babies,” Kitty explained, almost sympathetically.

 

“Yeah Mommy, swings are for _babies_ ,” Tommy agreed, though he’d begged her to push him for an hour only last Sunday.

 

“Ah of course,” she said, as though they were very wise, pulling into the parking lot of the local park.

 

She let them off and they raced off to the see-saw. She kept a healthy distance from them, close enough that she could be to them in three seconds if necessary, but not so close that they felt like they were being followed. There was a group of mothers seated on one of the benches, but she stayed clear of them. She hated that they made her feel as self-conscious as they did. She’d always been fearless growing up, but that had been before.

 

A little fear was good for her, she’d learned.

 

She tugged down her light pink zip-up to cover her yoga pants clad behind, though none of them were wearing anything more and more than a few had cleavage coming out of their zip-ups.

 

She sat down on a bench, looking around at all the kids playing. She’d always loved coming to the park as a child. It had always been a treat, as she was not often allowed, and she smiled hearing the children’s laughter.

 

All of a sudden Kitty jumped off of the seesaw and little Tommy started to cry as his bottom hit the ground. Myrcella ran to go pick up her son, but hardly had time to check if he was alright, just grabbed him and ran with him after the little girl.

 

“Kitty! Kitty come back!,” she cried, though she was gaining on her.

 

A man and his _wolf_ turned around at her name, and he broke into a big grin.

 

“Uncle Robb!,” the little girl cried as she hurled herself into his arms.

 

Myrcella would have fallen over from the force of it, but he stayed steady, wrapping his arms around the little girl and squeezing her tight as his wolf jumped up to lick her face.

 

“Kitty, oh my,” Myrcella said as she caught her breath, doubling over. She was horribly unfit apparently.

 

Now that she knew the little girl wasn’t in immediate danger she put Tommy down and surveyed him for any signs of harm, but he was just looking curiously at the wolf, and the man who Kitty had wrapped herself around.

 

Growing up with only a mother, he had a natural curiosity when it came to men. She did notice that he planted himself in front of her though. For all his shyness when it came to children of his own age, he had appointed himself her protector long ago when it came to adults, particularly male adults. She ran her fingers through his curls, her heart constricting as it always did.

 

“Kitty, what did I tell you?,” the man asked his niece.

 

“No wandering,” Kitty mumbled begrudgingly, which brought a grin to his startlingly attractive face.

 

“I promise I was watching her,” Myrcella said earnestly.

 

She was lucky when it came to Tommy, he so rarely wanted to leave her side that he never wandered. Even still, she never took her eyes off of him, but he hadn’t really prepared her for Kitty.

 

 _Robb_ looked at her in concern, “Of course you were! She’s a delinquent…and has a bit of a one track mind around Mr. Grey Wind, don’t you, darlin’?”

 

“Grey Wind is my _friend_ ,” Kitty explained, and fought out of her uncle’s arms until she was successfully sitting _on_ Grey Wind. The wolf did not look the least bit surprised or put out by it, especially when she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his fur.

 

“BFFs, these guys,” Robb said, pointing his thumb at them and making Myrcella giggle. Tommy looked up at her curiously and she blushed, deeper when she noticed the way Robb’s gaze fell to her when she did. “I’m Robb Stark, Kitty’s uncle. Her _favorite uncle_ ,” he stage-whispered conspiratorially.

 

“Uncle Robb that was a _secret!_ ,” Kitty admonished and he looked appropriately chagrined.

 

“I’m Myrcella Baratheon,” she said, straightening up, “And this is Tommy Baratheon.”

 

“Tommy? _The famous Tommy_?,” Robb asked, looking at Kitty before kneeling down so he was at eye level, “Well I’ve heard a lot about you.”

 

“Like what?,” Tommy asked curiously, though he buried his face in her thigh.

 

Robb grinned, “Just that you are the _coolest_ boy in the whole class.”

 

“School,” Kitty amended. “I said _school,_ ” she said as though it was a very important distinction. Which it was, and Myrcella adored her for being so vocal about Tommy’s greatness.

 

“I’m sorry, my heart, you’re right,” Robb said, “You did say school.”

 

“Uncle Robb, will you help me on the monkey bars?,” Kitty asked, bored of the conversation already.

 

Robb looked questioningly at her. She wasn’t sure what his plans for the day were, but she certainly wasn’t going to get in the way of a niece spending time with her uncle. Her very handsome uncle. Her very handsome uncle who called her his heart and spoke to Tommy like he held greatness inside him.

 

“Of course I will,” Robb said, picking up his niece and holding her fireman style. He looked at Myrcella questioningly and then knelt down, “What do you say Tommy? Want to hop on? Grey Wind will watch your mom.”

 

Tommy glanced questioningly at her and she could only smile at him encouragingly before he hopped on Robb. The kids shrieked with laughter as Robb started trotting over to the monkey bars.

 

Myrcella didn’t feel so self-conscious now, so she went to sit on the bench closest to the monkey bars and was surprised when Grey Wind sat next to her, pressing himself firmly against her side. Up close she could almost pretend he was a husky, but when he looked up at her with his warm golden eyes, she found that she didn’t need to pretend.

 

She tentatively reached out and pet his head, and a woodsy hum emanated from him. She felt oddly comforted when he placed his warm, heavy head in her lap, his ears flittering as if telling her to continue her attentions.

 

“Look Mommy, I’m doing it!,” Tommy shouted as Robb held him by his torso as his shaky little arms grabbed from one beam to the next.

 

“You sure are, baby!,” she called back with a smile just for him.

 

Robb caught it anyway, and his answering one sucked the wind from her.

 

***

 

It was nice to know that after all these years, Jon Snow never lied.

 

He’d been hearing about Tommy Baratheon for weeks, ever since Kitty had befriended him one day. By all accounts Tommy was _awesome_ , Kitty couldn’t tell him enough facts about him, and Jon and Sansa had raved about him after the playdate earlier this week.

 

 _He’s so sweet_ , Sansa had said, _So well behaved but boy does he have a mind._

 

 _Great kid,_ Jon had agreed nodding, then looked over at Robb, _Gorgeous mum._

 

 _Gorgeous, is it?_ Sansa asked pointedly then shook her head, _He’s right though. Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen._

 

 _Well I wouldn’t go that far,_ Jon had said pressing a kiss to her head as he refilled her water glass. He’d turned to Robb and grinned though saying, _Though Robb might._

 

Robb had merely rolled his eyes. They had been trying to set him up with any number of girls ever since his break-up with Jeyne, which was at least better than Arya who tried to set him up with girls while he was _with_ Jeyne. There was Margery who took spin with Sansa, and Val who worked in Jon’s office. No amount of pictures had convinced him though, even though the girls were admittedly very pretty. He wasn’t ready.

 

He forgot about that briefly when he met Ella Baratheon.

 

It had gotten worse when Tommy had begged her to do spider on the swing set and he’d seen the way she cradled his head, even though when they went backwards she tipped so much that he squealed with delighted laughter. It had seemed like so much fun that Kitty had lifted her embargo on the swing set and even though he’d offered to do spider with her she had asked Ella for a turn. Tommy had graciously (he really was a great kid) relinquished his turn and when Kitty had hopped up Ella had kicked off, her arm protectively around Kitty’s back. Soon they were giggling so much that it made him and Tommy laugh just to hear it.

 

The kids had been acting as a bit of a buffer, but as they went in search of the perfect stick to use to play fetch with Grey Wind, he fell in to step beside her.

 

“I hope you don’t mind my crashing your afternoon,” he said to.

 

She looked up at him and smiled, “Not at all. I’d hardly getting in the way of a niece spending time with her _favorite uncle_. Plus, you’re saving me enough energy that I actually might have the strength to make dinner _and_ eat it.”

 

“Big night,” he teased and immediately felt like an idiot. He didn’t know her well enough to tease her and Jeyne had never liked being teased. _I’m your girlfriend, you’re supposed to be nice to me_.

 

She chuckled though and said easily, “I’m very glamorous, what can I say?”

 

He wouldn’t exactly call her outfit glamorous, it was just exercise clothes but they fit her body _perfectly_ , there was something about her though that seemed like she wouldn’t be out of place in black tie.

 

“Well I’m going to order take out and watch the Wintertown Direwolves _smash_ the King’s Landing Crowns…try not to be too jealous…,” he said.

 

“It’d be hard to be jealous of someone delusional,” she argued, “The Crowns are undefeated. There’s _no_ way the Direwolves are coming out alive.”

 

_A hockey fan. Jon Snow, I love you._

 

“Please, Oakheart is _ancient_ and they’ve been relying on him way too heavily -“

 

“We rely on him because he never lets us down.”

 

“Us is it?,” he asks her with a grin.

 

“That’s right,” she said confidently.

 

He nodded at her, conceding the point and she smiled, a dimple appearing in her left cheek.

 

He was going to suggest going to a game sometime, or even watching one, but her son saved him from his stupidity.

 

“Mommy, mommy, come see what I found!,” he called.

 

She spared him another smile before calling, “Coming baby,” and racing over to Tommy before squealing and running away.

 

“He won’t hurt you,” Kitty called reassuringly, but it didn’t seem to appease Ella as her son chased her around holding a giant worm.

 

Robb jogged over and picked Kitty up, who rested her arms on his shoulders as they watched Ella employ a very impressive roll dodge on her son who seemed to have forgotten all about the worm and now only cared about catching her.

 

“They’re silly,” Kitty said. _Yes they are._ “I like them,” she concluded. _Me too, darlin._

 

***

 

After another hour Myrcella, Robb, and Grey Wind had acted as human (and wolf) playgrounds for Tommy and Kitty, the latter of whom had an almost non-existent attention span and always wanted to move to another activity just as Tommy was settling into the current one. Her perfectionist son, who with anyone else would have been grouchy, merrily followed to the beat of her drum and so they had played cops and robbers, ghosts in the graveyard, and something called _Whitewalkers_ , which ultimately was just Robb tossing Kitty and Tommy up into the air while Grey Wind ran around him barking.

 

Robb and Grey Wind were escorting them back to her car. Kitty was holding her hand tightly as Tommy walked along, holding gently onto Grey Wind’s fur.

 

“Will you come for ice cream with us?,” Tommy asked Robb.

 

She and Robb shared an awkward look.

 

“Oh you know what, baby? Robb and Grey Wind probably have a _lot_ to do today. Grey Wind must have many appointments…,” she reasoned, and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at Robb when he quirked his eyebrows at her.

 

“Like what?,” Tommy asked.

 

“Like Howleween Costume shopping…,” she said and Kitty burst out in her irresistible giggle, throwing her head back to the sky and letting out a howl.

 

Grey Wind let out one of his own much to Tommy’s delight.

 

“And then he has a pawnicure,” Robb added and Kitty looked up at her like her uncle was _so_ lame. “Some other time, okay, buddy?”

 

“Okay,” Tommy said glumly, and Robb looked to be reconsidering.

 

Myrcella didn’t want to take up anymore of his time though, and honestly she could do with a little space from him. It wasn’t that she minded his company. The exact opposite really.

 

She smiled at Robb sympathetically and said, “Alright baby, say goodbye okay? And what do we say to Robb and Grey Wind for playing so nicely with you?”

 

“Thank you, Robb,” Tommy said, holding his hand out for Robb. Myrcella bit her lip to keep from laughing as Robb took Tommy’s little hand in his.

 

“Thank you, buddy. Take good care of your Mom, okay?,” Robb said, giving her a look that made her palms sweaty.

 

“Promise,” Tommy said and then turned to Grey Wind. “Thanks for playing with me Grey Wind,” he said and then wrapped his arms around the wolf, hugging him.

 

“When?,” Kitty asked Robb accusingly.

 

“Soon, darlin’,” Robb said, bending down and opening his arms to the little girl. She fell into them, holding him tightly and it made Myrcella’s heart constrict. “Your Mama’s cooking tomorrow night for all of us. I’ll be there, okay?”

 

“Okay…,” she said, planting a kiss on his cheek and causing him to grin like an idiot.

 

“Mommy, you have to say bye too,” Tommy pointed out, “Decorum.”

 

Robb busted out laughing and she couldn’t stop the blush that spread. She wasn’t sure why he’d chosen exactly _that_ moment to start listening to her.

 

“Goodbye, Grey Wind,” Myrcella said though, leaning down and planting a kiss to his forehead and scratching behind his ears, “You’re a very good boy,” then she stood back up and looked awkwardly at Robb.

 

He seemed to sense her discomfort, because he held his hand out to her, just like Tommy had done to him. She took it and marvelled at how small hers felt in his.

 

“Goodbye Robb, thank you,” she said, meaning it. She hadn’t been lying when she told him that he’d allowed her to conserve enough energy to make it through the rest of the day.

 

“Bye Ella,” he said, using the name Kitty had started calling her when she’d struggled with Myrcella.

 

He didn’t let go of her hand right away and she didn’t either, but then she looked down at Tommy and broke away from Robb like she’d been scalded.

 

She herded the kids into her car, buckling them both into their car seats, and drove away. She didn’t think she imagined that Robb and Grey Wind didn’t move until they’d driven away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've had most of this chapter queued up for a while, and changed a few things to make the pacing, etc. work better. I'd love to hear what you all think!

“Oh I’m so sorry Ella, I’d _love_ to, but Jon, Kitty and I are away for the weekend…,” Sansa said. She really did seem sorry, and it really was last minute.

 

She’d just gotten a call from her boss, Barristen, who unexpectedly had to travel to Dorne tomorrow for a presentation, which meant he needed help preparing said presentation as well as travel plans today. Sunday.

 

He was a kind man, one she’d known for years and who’d been the only one to take a chance on a young mother without a university degree, and he never asked her to work on the weekends or even work late. He had been raised by a single mother, he’d told her once, and had never wanted to take her away from Tommy more than was necessary.

 

So she knew that if she told him she absolutely couldn’t, he wouldn’t press her on it or punish her. But that wasn’t her way. Once upon a time she had been valedictorian of her class with a steady stream of after school and weekend activities. She didn’t shirk responsibilities, especially not with someone who had already done so much for her and her son.

 

Her first call as always had been to Shireen, but her cousin had a term paper and a hangover and had practically asked for Tommy to take care of _her_ on the phone so she wasn’t really an option. She’d then called Eglantine, her regular babysitter, but she already had a job for the day.

 

So with great reluctance, she had called Sansa Snow.

 

She’d been assured that she shouldn’t be reluctant to call. Tommy and Kitty had a number of more playdates since the park, and Sansa and Jon had made it perfectly clear that Tommy was welcome anytime. With the exception of today, of course, as they weren’t home.

 

She was considering calling one of the teacher’s aids at Tommy’s school, who she knew babysat on the weekends, when her phone buzzed. It was an unknown number and she picked it up warily.

 

“Hello?,” she asked.

 

“Hi Ella? It’s Robb…Stark…um, Uncle Robb?,” he said and though she was surprised to hear from him, she couldn’t help but smile. It sounded like he was pacing.

 

“Oh Grey Wind’s dad?,” she asked idiotically. She was already in a rush and here she was pausing to _flirt_. And not well at that.

 

“The very same,” he said and she could hear the grin in his voice. She tried not to think about that grin, the one that caused crinkles to his cheeks and brightness to his eyes.

 

_A grin like that can get you into trouble._

 

“Oh well it’s um…nice to hear from you but I’m in the middle of something-“

 

“That’s actually why I’m calling. Sansa just called me, she mentioned that you had some kind of emergency come up? She would usually call Arya because Arya babysits sometimes - Arya’s our other sister, have you met her? She’s -“

 

“Robb?,” she interrupted because she had a feeling this could go on for a while. There were a lot of Stark siblings, after all.

 

“Thank you,” he said with a sigh, “The point is, usually Sansa would call Arya since Arya likes to make some extra money when she can, but Sansa figured that you might be more comfortable with me, since I met Tommy, not that I’m expecting cash or anything!”

 

“Robb, I’m sorry, are you offering to watch Tommy?”

 

“Did I not mention that? God I’m really off my game today.”

 

“Oh…I wouldn’t want to screw up your Sunday…and Tommy can be kind of a handful…”

 

“Have you met Kitty?,” he asked and she couldn’t help but smile. He had a point there, Tommy was no match for Kitty. “And you wouldn’t be screwing up anything. Grey Wind and I were going to take a walk, I could come pick up Tommy and bring him with us and grab pizza or something while you do what you have to do…”

 

She rarely resented being a single mother. Tommy was the best thing in her life and his father had not been what she would consider to be the ideal father, or partner. Sometimes though, she thought about what it would be like if she _did_ have a partner. It would mean never having to have a call like this because it would be her _husband_ taking Tommy to the park and for pizza. She didn’t like the idea of Robb Stark saving her, she didn’t like it one bit. Didn’t like the warmth she felt in her stomach at the memory of Robb down on all fours, stalking Tommy like a wolf, while his actual wolf stayed locked to her side, all but laughing with her as Kitty jumped on Robb to defend Tommy.

 

But that was the thing about being a parent, sometimes what you wanted or liked didn’t matter.

 

“That would be great…if you really don’t mind,” once Robb had assured her he didn’t mind she told him she’d text him the address and hung up.

 

She went into the living room where Tommy was watching cartoons.

 

“Okay, baby, Mommy has to go to work for a few hours so I arranged an extra special playdate for you,” she said, using all of her energy on seeming excited about this.

 

“With Kitty?!,” Tommy asked jumping up and down.

 

“No, Kitty is away this weekend…but her Uncle Robb and Grey Wind wanted to see if you maybe would hang out with them…”

 

“OHMYGODSSOCOOL”

 

 _I’ll take that as a yes,_ she thought as Tommy raced into his room to get ready for the day.

 

She went into her room to change as well, making sure to brush her teeth first thing. She didn’t want Robb Stark saving her, but if he absolutely had to, she definitely didn’t want him to catch her with morning breath.

 

***

 

“Just be cool, buddy,” Robb said to Grey Wind who was sitting rather proudly in the front seat.

 

Grey Wind looked at him as if to say _You’re the one who is clenching the steering wheel so tight that your knuckles are white, but sure, buddy, I’ll be cool._

 

Robb drove to Ella’s apartment building. It was on a small tree lined street, about a mile from the center of town, and he found himself wondering if she and Tommy walked to the grocery store or on other errands. He lived right in the downtown area, and loved being able to walk everywhere, but as he glanced around he found himself hoping that she drove most places.

 

He parked his truck and told Grey Wind to stay, making sure he rolled the window down a bit for him, and buzzed 4W.

 

“Hello?,” a sweet voice asked. He felt his pulse racing and forced himself to calm down. It wouldn’t exactly fill her with confidence leaving her son with him if he showed up looking like a madman.

 

“Hey uh, it’s me…Robb,” he said and closed his eyes. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was about this girl that reduced him to an utter idiot. _Well maybe it’s her wide green eyes or her pretty golden hair or her truly exquisite behind…or maybe it’s just the way her son clings to her._ He had done okay at the park, but that was mostly thanks to Kitty’s skills as a buffer.

 

“Come on up,” she said and buzzed him in.

 

He took the elevator to the fourth floor and wandered down the hallway until he found 4W. He knocked once and he heard her undoing the chain and then three additional locks.

 

She opened the door wearing jeans and a navy blue chunky turtleneck, a pair of moccasins on her feet. Her face was make up free and her golden waves fell like curtains on either side of it.

 

_Kitty, help me._

 

“Hi! This is…I can’t thank you enough…I hate to ask -,” she starts immediately.

 

“You didn’t ask, I offered,” he pointed out. He’d gotten the call from Sansa who had sounded beside herself.

 

_Ella has never asked, even though we’ve offered a thousand times and I don’t know how she does it - I love Kitty with my whole heart but I don’t know how I could raise her without Jon - or you, or Arya, or Bran, even Rickon - though I’m pretty sure at this point Kitty is raising him. Anyway, I know Tommy hit it off with you and…do you mind terribly? She… I’d like to help her. Can you help her, for me?_

 

_Isn’t she going to think it’s weird? A guy she met once calling to see if he can hang out with her son?_

 

_She’s met you once, but she’s met us loads of times, I think we’re actually friends…and she knows how Kitty dotes on you and while that could really just speak to Kitty’s poor judgment - please? Come on, big brother…_

 

That had done it. He’d never found it in himself to deny Sansa much of anything, and from the time he’d spent with Tommy he could think of a lot worse ways of spending a Sunday afternoon than with him. He was intelligent and oddly calm for a three year old, and a total fool for Kitty, which was the best way for anyone to get on Robb’s good side.

 

If the image of Ella running away from her son, ducking this way and that, planting a kiss on the top of his head as she jogged away just out of reach flashed before his eyes, was that really so terrible?

 

He was single, had been for a few months now **,** and she, to his knowledge anyway, was single. Well she definitely wasn’t married, anyway. And she was beautiful. So fucking beautiful.

 

“Right,” she said now, shaking her head and stepping inside to let him in.

 

The apartment was small but perfectly decorated and much neater than his home and even Sansa and Jon’s. Jon was tidy and Sansa was admittedly a bit of a neat freak, but with Kitty, three wolves, and Rickon it was a little hard to keep it clean all the time.

 

“Tommy, Robb’s here to see you,” she called quietly.

 

“Roooo _bb_ ,” little Tommy cried as he came running into the foyer. Robb was glad he hadn’t brought Grey Wind inside because he probably would have knocked over a lamp in his attempt to get to the little boy.

 

“Hey buddy!,” he said, crouching down to high five him, “Thanks for hanging out with me today.”

 

“No problem - Mommy has to work anyway,” Tommy said with a toothy grin, beckoning Robb’s own as he straightened up.

 

Ella pulled out Tommy’s jacket and pulled it on him, snapping the buttons as Tommy played with her hair.

 

“Okay baby, are you going to be good for Robb?,” she asked him.

 

“Yes, Mommy,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers, “I promise.”

 

Ella rubbed her nose against his and Robb felt his stomach clench.

 

“Well I should be done by 2?,” she said, standing up and looking at him, “Do you think you could meet me back here around then so I can put him down for his nap?”

 

“I don’t need a nap,” Tommy argued and Robb bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, not wanting to encourage him. He’d learned long ago from Kitty that if they knew you thought they were funny they could get away with almost anything.

 

“We’ll meet you here,” he nodded and gave her a little wave, offering Tommy his hand and leaving her to finish getting ready. He remembered something though and turned back, “And Ella?”

 

“Yes?,” and he could have sworn she skidded to a stop Breakfast Club style. He didn’t have time to think about how cute that was and neither did she.

 

“Don’t hate to ask.”

 

***

 

In the end she was done by 1:00. Barristen had felt awful that he’d called her in at all and offered to pay her overtime. When she reminded him that she was on salary he told her he’d call the accountants and have her pay raised immediately. She would have fought him on it, but she could really use the money so she’d merely smiled and told him to have a safe flight and to call if he needed anything further.

 

She texted Robb to tell him that she was finished, but he sent her a picture of Tommy with giant headphones on in what seemed to be a record store and said, “I think we’re gonna be a little bit, promise to have him back by 2.”

 

She so rarely had spare time that she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with herself. She thought about just going to Drip and having a coffee, sitting in silence _when was the last time I did that?_ she wondered, but then she remembered that they were running low on milk, which lead her to remember that she really should pick up more flour as well, so in truly predictable fashion she ended up at the grocery store.

 

It was a crisp fall day, her favorite kind of weather, and it made her crave something warm and hearty for dinner, so she picked up the ingredients to make one of her tried and true recipes.

 

She pulled into the parking lot at 1:45, giving her just enough time to put away the groceries and throw a load of dirty clothes into the washer before she heard the buzzer.

 

“Robb?,” she asked, ignoring the somersault her stomach did.

 

“Hi,” he said quietly and she buzzed him up.

 

When she opened the door a minute later she realised why he had been so quiet, he had Tommy in his arms, his little head asleep on his shoulder.

 

“Hi,” she whispered and he grinned at her and she beckoned him inside, closing the door behind him.

 

She lead him down the hall to Tommy’s room, and tried not to wonder what he was thinking of her apartment. It was a far cry from the home she’d grown up in, the home his sister lived in and she hoped he didn’t need to use the bathroom because he’d find the shower head leaky.

 

_You pay for this place on your own. There’s pride in that._

 

He gasped when he entered Tommy’s room and she couldn’t contain her grin. It was her favorite room in the apartment, not that there were a ton to choose from, but it was painted a deep midnight blue with stars on the ceiling and the walls were adorned with pictures of the two of them and pictures she’d painted for him and one’s he’d drawn himself. She’d found a place that did cheap framing and had gotten quite handy with a nail and hammer during Tommy’s short life.

 

Once Robb had put him in his bed she took off his sneakers and coat as gingerly as she could, tucking the covers up under Tommy’s chin. She didn’t realise that she’d handed Robb the clothing until she turned around and found him holding them a small smile on his face. She blushed and took them from him, placing the shoes on the floor of his closet and hanging the jacket up on the hook.

 

They exited the room and she closed the door as softly as she could.

 

They didn’t speak until they had gotten to the kitchen and then she said the only thing that really mattered, “Thank you.”

 

“Would you believe me if I told you it was my pleasure?,” Robb asked her.

 

Her confidence was totally in her son when she said, “I would, but even still.”

 

“Well, you’re welcome. Did you get everything done that you needed to?,” he asked.

 

“I did, even had time to go to the grocery store,” she said with a small smile, “Tommy will be disappointed because he always seems to get free samples at the market but… well it was quicker and I managed to walk out without too much processed sugar…”

 

“Well don’t tell Tommy it was my fault, okay?,” he asked with his crinkly grin.

 

“I’d never betray a comrade,” she assured him and he chuckled. “Can I…I mean would you be offended if I offered to-“

 

“Yes,” he said to her quickly, guessing what she was going to offer. “I would be horribly offended. I’m not a babysitter, I’m his…friend.”

 

It should be creepy for a twenty-something man to talk about being friends with a three year old, but it wasn’t. She’d seen Robb with Kitty, the way he seemed to understand her babble even better than her parents at times, she’d heard the way Sansa would say _Thanks Robby_ sometimes when they were on the phone and she could just tell that he had brought in more firewood or let out Lady and Ghost or something equally helpful all without being asked. There was nothing remotely creepy about Robb Stark, with his trustworthy blue eyes and open smile.

 

“Well then he’s a lucky little boy,” she said.

 

“Luckier still that he has you,” Robb said, and this was a different kind of smile. “And I…could be your friend too. If you found yourself in want of…friendship.”

 

“Well…,” she said, before she could talk herself out of it, “In that case, maybe you won’t let me _pay_ you, but…would you want to join us for dinner? As a thank you…It’s just turkey pasta but-“

 

“There is no _but_ when it comes to a home cooked meal…,” he said with a sheepish grin. _Oh right, he’s a bachelor. Maybe there’s more than one reason he spends so many nights at Jon and Sansa’s…_ “I assume Tommy’s on the same timetable as Kitty - so should I drop by around 5:30ish?”

 

She nodded dumbly, because the last time a guy had asked her out _not that that is what Robb is doing_ she reminded herself, he’d suggested dinner at 9:30. She’d had a hard time explaining that she was usually in bed by 9:30 since her toddler often woke her up by 5. Needless to say, he hadn’t asked her out again.

 

Robb grinned at her and said simply, “I’ll bring the wine.”

 

He was nearly to the door when she asked, “And Grey Wind?”

 

He turned back and gave her a funny little smile, like he was trying to see if she was kidding or not, but then he gave her an almost sad one and nodded once.

 

She locked the door behind him, all three locks and the chain. She hadn’t felt the need to when he was there, she realised, even though she’d been in far greater danger.

 

***

 

It took him an annoying amount of time and too many texts to Sansa to figure out what kind of wine to bring.

 

_Sansa: Where are you going?_

 

_Robb: To a friend’s for dinner…_

 

_Sansa: Theon doesn’t drink wine._

 

_Robb: It’s not Theon. I have other friends, you know._

 

_Sansa: Yes, but Jon is with me._

 

She had sent him an explosion gif with that one as well. His elegant sister could be a cheeky little shit when she wanted to be.

 

_Sansa: Well what are they making?_

 

_Robb: She said turkey pasta._

 

_Sansa: She? Robbert Hoster Stark is this a date??_

 

_Robb: No! It’s a dinner. With Ella._

 

_Sansa: Ohmygodohmygod Arya’s going to freak out._

 

_Robb: No one needs to freak out, it’s just dinner. We’re going to be fully chaperoned._

 

_Sansa: By who?_

 

_Robb: Tommy._

 

_Sansa: Jon is going to be thrilled that his plan worked perfectly._

 

_Robb: I don’t want you two conspiring about me like a pair of fishwives._

 

_Sansa: Even when our conspiracies lead to a home cooked meal with a beautiful, sweetheart of a girl whom I know for a fact you’ve been daydreaming about for the past few weeks?_

 

_Sansa: I’m taking your lack of response as tacit compliance and unconditional support for everything that I do…_

 

_Sansa: Get a Cotes-du-Rhone. 2008 or earlier._

 

_Robb: You’re a pest, and I love you. Thanks Dove._

 

He’d settled for a 2005 Cotes-du-Rhone that the shop worker had confirmed would go great with anything in a red sauce. He had a little time to spare and considered going to get Ella flowers, but he knew that would be too ‘date-like’ and something told him that he had to pace himself.

 

In truth, he’d like nothing more than to take her out. To pick her up and take her to dinner at a fancy restaurant. He wondered if she’d wear a dress, not that it would matter. She’d made his heart race in her oversized sweater today and knew that she could show up wearing a potato sack and it would be the same. He’d ask her about what kind of movies she liked and if she’d let him, he’d ask her what it was like to raise Tommy on her own. He’d take hold of her hand on the way back to the car and pause before opening her door for her. He’d never been one for the _at the front door_ kind of first kiss. It was so predictable, and in truth he didn’t think he’d be able to wait that long with her. He’d promise to call her in a few days, but would call her the next day, and he’d let her tease him for his promptness.

 

He’d settle for dinner as friends though. _No, not settle_ , he corrected. Jump at the chance was more like it.

 

He parked on the street in front of her apartment building and let Grey Wind out. Even though Ella had asked for him to come, Robb had spent some of the time they’d been apart bringing him to the groomers because they’d gone for a long woods walk yesterday and Grey Wind had been happily covered in grime by the end of it.

 

It had surprised him that Ella had asked, even though she’d kissed his head in a way that had made Robb jealous the first time they’d met, and Tommy was now just as comfortable with him as Kitty, crawling all over him to Grey Wind’s delight. Jeyne hadn’t liked him though, and if Robb was being entirely honest with himself, Grey Wind really hadn’t liked her either. So it was odd not to be saying _Sorry buddy_ as he headed out for the evening. Grey Wind had been so excited when he said _You comin’? We’ve got plans,_ and so had Robb. He worked long hours during the week and really tried to devote time to Grey Wind on the weekends.

 

Ella opened the door and she still wore her jeans and sweater but she’d replaced her moccasins with slippers and she’d thrown her hair up in a clip, revealing the subtle slope of her neck. He decided then and there that if he ever did take her on a proper date he’d have to tell her she couldn’t wear a dress because he’d probably spontaneously combust given his reaction to this small part of exposed skin.

 

“Hi!,” she said, “And hello to you, handsome,” she said bending down and scratching Grey Wind behind his ears, pressing a kiss to his snout, “Come in, sorry to make you stand in the hall.”

 

He was going to wave her off but he was speechless as he entered the apartment. There were so many good smells that he actually felt himself groan, feeling more like Grey Wind than himself.

 

She closed the door and looked at him hesitantly so he wordlessly proffered the wine. She took it and their fingers touched and it was just like when he’d shaken her hand, a jolt of energy passing through them like a current. He wasn’t sure if she noticed because she turned around quickly, muttering something about having to stir the sauce and saying _Thank you_ over her shoulder.

 

“Robb I’m watching Thomas, wanna watch?,” Tommy called from his spot on the living room floor.

 

“In a minute, buddy, I’m gonna see if your mom needs help. Grey Wind will come watch though, he _loves_ Thomas,” he said and nudged Grey Wind. Ever the wingman, Grey Wind trotted over to the little boy and plopped down next to him, rolling on his side as Tommy tackled him and rested on him like a pillow.

 

He walked hesitantly into the kitchen, removing his coat and draping it over one of the chairs. Ella had music playing softly, and had a pot of water boiling and a vat of sauce next to it, and he could smell the herbs of it and something else, something sweeter. _Is she making bread?_ he wondered idly as he watched her go from the stove to a cabinet to shake some spice in, over to the fridge to pull out a salad.

 

“Can I do anything to help?,” he asked, though he was pretty sure he knew what the answer was going to be.

 

She was like a choreographed dance, and it oddly brought to mind his own mother. He knew that didn’t _mean_ anything, it just happened anytime he saw a woman dancing around the kitchen as though on a conveyor belt, full of purpose. He felt the familiar lump in his throat when he thought of her, but squashed it down, remembering with a smile how his mother would only let Sansa in the kitchen with her, the two of them operating like they shared limbs.

 

“Oh!,” she said turning around and grinning, “Sorry, you, surprised me? I thought for sure Tommy would tempt you with Thomas…Um… you could open the wine?”

 

“Not very trustworthy of my skills in the kitchen, are you?,” he asked, “Guess you really are as smart as my sister says…”

 

She giggled and he felt it down in his toes and she said diplomatically, “This is meant as a _thank you_ , not much of a thanks if I put you to work the moment you arrive, now is it?”

 

 _Sweetheart you can put me to work all you want_ , he thought, but didn’t say.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not buying it,” he said with a grin though and took the wine opener she offered and set about opening the wine.

 

He tried to continue looking at her as he did it, _oh so smooth,_ but then the stupid thing got jammed, and his face fell down looking at it, holding up the bottle. _How did it go in sideways?_ he thought. He set it back down and was going to try to start over when suddenly she was _next_ to him, taking it lightly from his hands.

 

“Maybe you could stir the sauce?,” she asked with an impish grin on her face.

 

“Stop enjoying this,” he said to her over his shoulder as he went to stir the sauce.

 

“Who says I’m enjoying it?,” she asked, though her smile did exactly that. He didn’t fail to note the way she was able to maintain eye contact while she did it, biting her lip to hide her smile when that satisfying little _pop_ signalled her success. He was struck by how ardently he wanted to bite that lip of hers and was relieved when she said, “Glasses are above the sink.”

 

He took the moment to recover himself. He hadn’t had a drop to drink and felt drunk already and given that this meal was, as he said, _chaperoned_ , he knew that he had to get a hold of himself and quick if he ever wanted to be invited back.

 

He managed a smile at her as he brought over the glasses, taking the bottle from her and filling the first glass before handing it to her and then filling his own.

 

***

 

Robb groaned, backing away from the table and clutching his stomach dramatically. He had Tommy in hysterics and she was nearing it.

 

He was, apparently, a fan of her cooking. He’d proposed marriage to the bread she’d made, and had told the chocolate chip cookies _You’re just so beautiful_.

 

Tommy had started in as well, copying his intonations to a t, and he was now in an exclusive relationship with her turkey bolognese.

 

“Mommy can Robb read me a story tonight?,” Tommy asked her.

 

She felt a pang in her stomach. She was having a nice time, no a _great_ time, but she couldn’t help the flash of jealousy she felt when Tommy asked her that. Followed immediately by one of guilt - not just for her jealousy, but for what his request stemmed from. He was fascinated with men, after growing up in a home without one. She knew it went further than that though, he adored Robb, it was plain as day.

 

She didn’t want to impose on Robb but when she saw his face light up at the request she thought that maybe he wouldn’t mind so much. She smiled back at him, granting her permission.

 

“I’d love to buddy, I’m just going to use the restroom, why don’t you pick out what you want me to read and I’ll meet you in your room,” Robb said, standing up and gesturing behind him. She nodded and he walked down the hallway.

 

She started to clear the plates, making Tommy stop so that she could wipe his face before he disappeared into his room.

 

She figured Robb would read the story and then she could go in and get Tommy in his pajamas and to brush his teeth, so she took advantage of the pause and started to do the dishes.

 

Robb popped his head in the kitchen a moment later though and said, “Hey do you have a screwdriver?”

 

“Uh, yeah, in that drawer…,” she said and turned to him, “Is everything okay?”

 

“Your shower is a bit leaky -“

 

“Oh I know, I have a call in to my super, you don’t have to -“

 

“I don’t know how you are sleeping with it dripping, but it’s going to keep _me_ at at night just thinking about. And I really like sleep. I’ll fix it after Tommy goes to sleep, it’ll take me two minutes.”

 

The look on his face told her that he was not going to be denied. She went to the drawer and pulled it out, handing it to him. His fingers brushed hers as he took it and she felt the familiar jolt she always seemed to feel when they touched. Her eyes widened and his did too as he seemed to be trying to look at all of her at once.

 

“But you’re taking leftovers as payment,” she warned.

 

He grinned at her and said, “In that case - do you have any rooms you want remodelled?”

 

He disappeared and she went back to doing the dishes, trying not to think about all the ways Robb Stark had rescued her that day. After nearly four years living on her own, she was not in the habit of being rescued. She _did_ the rescuing. When Tommy decided he wanted to be Princess Elsa for Halloween, she was the one who made a dress and cape when the store was sold out. When Barristen swore he lost a report, she was the one who calmly came in with the file copy. When Shireen found out her boyfriend was cheating on her, it was her bed she slept in for a week, leaving it only for her mandatory once a day shower and to watch Thomas with Tommy. It wasn’t that she though she was so great or anything, but she took care of herself and the people around her. She had to.

 

Then Robb Stark came along with his kind blue eyes and his toddler-whisperer persona and his jolty fingertips and he just…took care of things.

 

On top of it all he’d made her laugh harder than she had in months. He’d asked her about her work and told her about his, he’d teased her about the Direwolves recent victory over the Crowns, and he’d listened to Tommy’s stories with rapt attention, nearly choking on his turkey bolognese when he mentioned _The Great Ketchup Debacle of 2018._

 

The rushing water of the sink made her wonder what would happen if the shower head exploded while he was trying to fix it. Would his t shirt cling to his Adonis-like body? Would he take it off entirely?

 

In all her life, she’d never craved a plumbing emergency more.


	5. Chapter 5

Myrcella straightened Tommy’s sweater, wiping the crumbs from his cheez-its off the front. She grabbed the container of lemon bars from the backseat and closed the door with her hip, taking his hand in her own.

 

It was hardly the first time she stood outside Winterfell, the Snow’s home, but every time felt like the first. She’d grown up in an objectively grander house, but while Winterfell looked straight from a storybook, Casterly Rock had been the stuff of nightmares. Full of ghosts and betrayals - at least that is how it had always seemed to her.

 

_So what if you could fit your entire apartment into the dining room of Casterly Rock? You got him away, that’s all that matters._

 

Her stomach clenched as they walked to the front door, but unknotted as Tommy looked up at her excitedly and she nodded, letting him know it was okay to press the doorbell. He loved pressing the doorbell, and someone else doing it was the only nightmare he knew in his life. Which was how it should be.

 

There was commotion behind it, and a younger version of Robb opened it wearing rugby kit.

 

“Woah,” he said, an excited grin on his face, “They weren’t kidding.”

 

_Um who, what, where?_

 

“Rickon,” she heard Jon say and Rickon immediately straightened up. She hadn’t actually realised that he’d propped himself against the door, crossing his arms, until he did. “Why don’t you take our guest’s coat?”

 

Jon smirked at her as Rickon rushed forward to follow his suggestion. Jon took the container from her before high fiving Tommy.

 

“Kitty’s in the den,” he told him. 

“The wolf den?,” Tommy asked excitedly and Jon nodded and grinned when Tommy threw his head back and howled.

 

Rickon howled back as he helped her out of her light fall coat and Tommy disappeared down the hall, not bothering to give her a second glance. It was Friday evening, and he was excited for the weekend, just like she was.

 

Sansa had asked her if they’d come to dinner when they’d ran into one another at morning drop-off on Tuesday and she’d readily accepted. Tommy had been looking forward to it all week, even though he’d also been here on Wednesday, and so had she.

 

She’d seen a fair bit of Sansa and Jon, between running into each other at the parking lot and picking up or dropping off for playdates. She and Sansa had talked about signing them up for swimming classes in the winter, Sansa saying _It will be so much more tolerable with all those bores if you are with me._ They talked on the phone often, one or the other calling about setting up a playdate or thanking the other for one, and she was beginning to wonder if Sansa was using it as an excuse, because no matter what the reason either of them called, they’d end up on the phone for nearly an hour, talking about this and that, one time looking through the same cooking magazine as they tore out recipes they wanted to try. She knew she had called once or twice with a flimsy excuse just to have someone to laugh with. Even still, they hadn’t really all spent any time together, even though they often tried to get her and Tommy to stay for dinner when she picked him up on the afternoons he spent at Winterfell.

 

She’d had Kitty over to her and Tommy’s apartment multiple times as well though, and Kitty had proclaimed that she liked how quiet it was. She adored the little girl, who could be so wild but was so sweet and gentle, never pushing Tommy to do something he didn’t want to do. While the three of them watched a Thomas episode one Saturday, Ella had been painting her toenails a very light pink and Kitty had crawled over on the couch to sit next to her.

 

_Hi sweetling, do you need a snack or anything?_

 

_No, just watching. I like the color - even though it’s pink._

 

_Thank you, I like it too. Do you want to know what it’s called?_

 

_It has a name?_

 

_Oh yes, I never buy a nail polish if I don’t like the name. It’s called ‘Stop it I’m Blushing’_

 

_That’s what Daddy says to Mama when she tells him he’s handsome, or strong or smart or…he says it a lot._

 

_That’s because they love each other, sweetling._

 

_Do you love anybody?_

 

 _I love Tommy. And Auntie Shireen_ , then she’d smiled at the little girl and swiped her nose with her index finger, _And you._

 

The little girl’s face lit up and she said _I love you too!_

 

_Stop it, I’m blushing._

 

 

 

She understood what Kitty meant about the quiet as she followed Jon and Rickon into the kitchen. There were a few wolves littered throughout the space, more than usual, and Sansa was there chattering happily to a pretty girl with short brown hair and a handsome guy with dark brown hair and blue eyes. _Seriously, is there something in the water up here?_

 

“Ella’s here,” Jon said, placing her container down on the counter and pressing a kiss to the back of Sansa’s head.

 

“Thank god we have you,” the brunette said, cutting off Sansa’s attempt to greet her in her typically gracious manner, “Who else would helpfully point out such painfully obvious things?”

 

_Hello, Auntie Arya._

 

“You must be Arya,” she said and the guy next to her laughed.

 

“Her reputation proceeds her, eh?,” he asked her, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend when she shoved him.

 

“It’s a great reputation,” she assured them and Arya grinned at her and so did her boyfriend. She’d never seen him before but there was something oddly familiar about him, like when you see someone in a dream and even though they don’t have a face you know exactly who it is.

 

“I thought Robb was coming tonight,” Gendry said to the room. She definitely didn’t feel a stab of disappointment when she learned Robb wasn’t coming. No, that wasn’t disappointment, that was _relief._ A big old stomach stab of relief, “I needed to talk to him about something.”

 

“He’s got a hot date with Nan tonight,” Jon answered and they all nodded knowingly. She tried not to focus on the way her stomach twisted further at that. Not just that Robb was on a date, but a date with a girl they all _knew_. A girl who it was readily accepted that any date with was a hot one. Not that she cared. “Is it something I can help with?”

 

She couldn’t help but smile at that as the twisting disappeared. They were such a pack of wolves, all stumbling over one other to help out in some way. It extended, obviously, to friends and boyfriends and girlfriends. Once you were in, you were in. She’d seen it for herself, the way Sansa had pointedly ignored Beth Cassel after she’d seen Beth snub her, the way she’d called her big brother to come to the rescue when she couldn’t.

 

“Uh yeah,” Gendry said, clearing his throat, “I’d like to talk to you about it too, actually.”

 

She didn’t miss the knowing look Sansa gave Arya, who pretended not to notice as she sipped her wine.

 

*

 

“You don’t have to help, you’re our guest,” Sansa said as Myrcella started putting leftovers into tupperware.

 

“It’s the least I can do,” she said honestly, “This was really lovely, thank you.”

 

“There’s nothing to thank me for,” Sansa said waving her off, “We adore Tommy. And you, I hope you know that. There is always a place at our table for you two, you never need to call.”

 

“We actually encourage drop-ins,” Jon said as he brought in the last platter, turning to her with a teasing glimmer in his eye, “Maybe the element of surprise will keep Rickon on his best behavior.”

 

She laughed blushing. The youngest Stark was all of a senior in high school and had sat next to her, peppering her with questions, all while sliding into the conversation hints about his academic and athletic prowess. It was harmless and adorable, especially when his older sisters teased him about it.

 

“We love spending time with you all,” Myrcella said though, her throat getting thick. Tommy only had her and Shireen for family, and she knew he craved the chaos of the Snow’s house as much as Kitty loved the quiet of hers.

 

Jon squeezed her shoulder and left them to it, having promised to have the conversation with Gendry as soon as the table was cleared.

 

“Ten bucks on what _that’s_ all about,” Sansa said with a grin, “He’s got to get big brother number one and two’s approval.”

 

“Does it bother you?,” she asked, “That he isn’t talking to you about it?”

 

She felt awful as soon as she said it. It was none of her business after all and while she and Sansa were friends, she wasn’t sure that they were at the no filter stage yet. Sansa apparently didn’t see it that way, as she gave her a surprised smile, shaking her head.

 

“It’s kind of you to ask, but no. He already asked me ages ago, the night Kitty was born. Arya had taken Rickon and Bran home and Gendry waited with me while Jon got coffee and Robb called - oh I can’t remember who now. He was the only one that hadn’t held her yet, and as he took her carefully, _so carefully_ , into his arms I teased him that she could be his child, with her brown hair and blue eyes. We joked about what a scandal it would be. He got serious after a while and said, looking at her down in wonder _I want one of these. Not now, but someday. With her._ It was a very rude thing to do, in my opinion, telling a new mother how much he wanted to take care of her younger sister. It isn’t really _fair_ to take advantage of emotions like that,” she said and smiled to show she was kidding. “But then he asked me if it was alright. He said _I know I’m going to have to ask Robb - and Jon - when the time comes, but, I’m asking you now, because as much as they think they were put on this earth to protect her, it’s you she turns to, no matter what, the way she would have your mother._ ”

 

Myrcella wiped a tear away from her eye and Sansa handed her a tissue, taking two for herself. She let out a little sob and shook her head, dabbing at the pools of tears. Myrcella placed a hand on her shoulder and tentatively brought her into her arms for a hug. Sansa squeezed her gently, resting her head on her shoulder for a minute before pulling away.

 

“I’m sorry it’s the hormones,” she said as tears streamed down her face and then looked aghast that she’d just said that, “I…nobody…”

 

“I always cry when I’m getting my period,” Mla said with an obvious wink, letting her know that she’d keep her secret safe. “I’m so happy for you and Jon.”

 

Sansa smiled gratefully, throwing her arms around her again, this time in elation and they swayed as the last of the tears fell.

 

They chatted easily like the always seemed to on the phone as they got into a rhythm of cleaning up. Even though Sansa’s kitchen was far larger than her own, they had a similar sense of organisation so Myrcella found that she never had to look very far for anything’s placement.

 

“It’s nice that Robb’s dating again,” Myrcella said, as conversationally as possible. She wasn’t really sure why she cared exactly, it wasn’t like she was going to date Robb, but she did and she found she couldn’t stop herself from saying it.

 

“He is?,” Sansa asked, scrunching her nose in confusion.

 

“Nan?,” Ella offered.

 

Sansa snorted, “Oh that would have been confusing. Nan is eighty years old, she was our nanny growing up. Robb takes her out to dinner once every couple of weeks and then makes sure nothing needs fixing in her house or, you know, she doesn’t have any issues with her accounts or anything, that sort of thing.”

 

_So he isn’t on a date with a beautiful woman, he is instead devoting a free Friday night to take care of a woman old enough to be his grandmother. Of course he is. And see, I told you it didn’t mean anything when he fixed your shower. That’s just who he is._

 

“Oh…,” she said, because really what else was there to say to that?

 

Sansa didn’t say anything, but Ella didn’t miss her smile as she put the last glass in the cupboard.

 

***

 

Robb ended up at The Crow at about 8, having left Nan’s a half hour before. He’d had to stop by his apartment to drop off the stew she’d made him, despite the fact that he was going over there to take care of _her_. She had balked when he pointed that out muttering _I changed your diapers and I wiped your nose and I will not now be treated as an invalid just because these bones of mine are old._

 

“Stark,” Theon greeted him jovially, hugging him though it had only been a few days since they’d last seen each other.

 

“Greyjoy,” he said, hugging him back.

 

He signalled to the bartender who pushed a glass of whiskey in front of him wordlessly.

 

“So, I met this girl…,” Theon said and Robb rolled his eyes. Most of their conversations started this way.

 

“Think you’ll keep your wallet this time?,” Robb asked, citing the most recent girl who had ended up being a kleptomaniac.

 

“I literally don’t even care,” Theon said with an unabashed lovelorn smile, “She can take it. She can take the clothes off my back - I mean, I actually hope she _does_ do that obviously - but this girl can have _everything_.”

 

“That’s big talk from you, Greyjoy,” Jon said as he and Gendry came in.

 

This time it was Robb who stood to clap Gendry on the back. He loved him like a brother, and at this point, it’s what he felt like. It was plain as day he’d be proposing to Arya any day now, and Robb couldn’t wait for the day when he could embrace him and call him brother, knowing that no matter what happened to him or Jon or Sansa, that his little sister would always be okay.

 

If you asked Gendry, she was the one who took care of him, which was true. He was kind of lost without her, and she had never had an issue defending herself, but he protected her heart. She was soft with him in a way she was hardly with anyone else, certainly no one else outside their family. She was vulnerable and open with him, even though she spent nearly all day every day making fun of him, and that was its own kind of protection. One Robb had learned through his own relationships that was rare and just as important as physical protection.

 

“Dude you don’t even know,” Theon said shaking his head, “This girl is… _something_.”

 

“Speaking of something,” Gendry said with a shake of his head, “Stark your girl is a goddamn treasure.”

 

“She’s not my girl,” he pointed out uselessly. Though he would not deny her being a treasure.

 

She was all Kitty talked about nowadays. _Look Uncle Robb, Ella painted my toenails. Do you like these brownies? I baked them with Ella. She let me crack the eggs!_ And more often than not she was all Sansa talked about too. _Oh you should have seen the way that Beth Cassel looked down her nose at Ella. She doesn’t deserve to shine her shoes! Oh this recipe? Ella sent it to me, it’s one of her favorites._ Jon was little better, and all of that was without the never ending daydream he had of her.

 

His family already had him and Ella married off, which wouldn’t bother him so much if he thought that’s what _she_ wanted. Not marriage obviously, it was far too soon to be thinking about that, but…a date maybe.

 

He hadn’t seen her since the dinner had her apartment. They’d texted a few times. He’d sent her a message with a picture of the empty container of bolognese the next night, and she’d sent him back a picture of the chicken tacos she’d made for her and Tommy. It had been embarrassing how quickly he’d responded.

 

_Do you have anything you need fixing?_

 

_My very existence. And my internet._

 

_Just kidding. About the internet._

 

He’d grinned from ear to ear like an idiot. He was pretty sure Grey Wind was worried about him, sending her a text back with something lame about how perfectly great her existence was.

 

She’d texted him the next weekend with a picture of Tommy on the monkey bars saying: _He formally requests that you marvel at his prowess._

 

That one had nearly killed him. That she and her son had been talking about _him_.

 

The point was though, that everything she did screamed _friends_. He got it, she wasn’t interested. She couldn’t help that she was sweet and lovely, it was just who she was - to everyone. It didn’t stop him from wanting to know her, from needing to know her, but even still he wished his family would just leave it.

 

“I wouldn’t be so sure, apparently she was jealous of Nan,” Jon said with a grin holding up his cell phone.

 

Robb snatched the phone out of his hand quickly, ignoring their laughter at his expense. He read the series of texts from Sansa.

 

_Oh my god, I think Ella was jealous._

 

_I mean…she’s Ella so she was perfectly lovely about the whole thing but, she seemed upset that Robb had a ‘hot date’ as you so eloquently put it._

 

Robb looked up at Jon and glared at him for that one. He held his hands up and glanced meaningfully at the phone as if to say _Keep going._

 

_You should have seen the way she smiled to herself after I told her who Nan was. I’m telling you I’m going to win this bet. I give them three months._

 

“You’re betting on us?,” Robb guffawed, trying to slow his heart rate. _Ella was relieved when she found out I wasn’t on a date. Ella asked about my date. Ella asked about me._

 

“We bet on everything,” Jon said as though that was a well known fact. Robb didn’t normally peer behind the curtain of their marriage, and he didn’t really want to think about them in bed, even if it was only with an image of Sansa happily taking the money Jon reluctantly handed over, declaring her superiority in all things. Jon turned towards Gendry though and said, “Speaking of…”

 

“I uh…didn’t think this would be happening in front of Theon…,” Gendry said, completely unfazed when Theon flipped him off. “But um…I want to ask Arya to marry me. I know she doesn’t graduate for another seven months but… I’m ready, I think we both are. I just want her to know that as she’s making decisions for what comes next, that she has someone who she can rely on to help her, someone who wants to build a life with her, no matter where it is, no matter what it looks like.”

 

Robb felt his throat get thick. He and Sansa had always been a bit closer, due to their age and the similarities of their personality, and the way they’d taken care of their siblings after their parents had died, but that didn’t mean he didn’t love Arya with his whole heart. She was his baby sister, and the fact that the man she loved loved her back just as much made him happier than he could say.

 

“So…I know that Arya would kill me for asking ya, so I’m not asking for your permission…but I’d really like your support…,” Gendry finished and if Robb ever had doubts that Gendry was the guy for her, that one statement would put them to rest forever.

 

“You have it,” Robb said readily, “Of course you have it,” he then spared a glance at Jon and it was obvious they’d already had the conversation, “But um… have you talked to Sansa? She’s the one whose support you really need.”

 

Gendry grinned and shook his head, nodding at Jon, “It’s like you guys are reading from the same script. I asked her years ago. Pretty sure she’s already picked out the caterer and color scheme.”

 

“Well then,” Robb said, holding up his glass, “To the future Mr and Mrs Gendry Waters.”

 

They all clinked glasses and then Theon tried and failed repeatedly to get the conversation back to the girl he’d met. The night passed by like so many others and it wasn’t until he got home that night that he saw he had a text from Ella.

 

_Tommy told me he wanted to go as Umber from the Direwolves for Halloween, is this your doing?_

 

He grinned, knowing it was probably his fault, because Tommy and Kitty had definitely been in the room when he and Jon were watching the game last week and Robb had proclaimed that Umber was the best player in the league.

 

_The man has excellent taste, don’t take that away from him._

 

_You’re trouble, Robb Stark._

 

His heart stopped at that. It was annoyingly something Theon had said once in a drunken state: _If a girl says you’re trouble she’s already pictured having sex with you._ He’d never really given much thought to the statement, until now. Now he wasn’t really sure that he’d ever think of anything else.

 

He thought about the text messages Sansa had sent to Jon.

 

_That’s what my girlfriend Nan tells me._

 

He watched the three little text dots appear and disappear multiple times. He wondered if he’d gone too far, maybe Sansa hadn’t been as clear about who Nan was as she thought she had?

 

_Well I hope you two had a lovely time together. We missed you tonight though, at dinner._

 

_Everyone except Rickon, I heard he asked you to homecoming?_

 

_I told him I’d only screw up his chances at becoming homecoming king._

 

_Please, with you on his arm, he’d be a shoo-in. For the sake of the family, don’t go, his ego is already out of control. Though you would look very cute in a crown._

 

He hadn’t realised how drunk he was until he sent that, but it was true. He wondered if he should send an apology, telling her that he was just drunk, but then he saw those three little dots appear.

 

_You’re trouble, Robb Stark._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you liked it! I wanted to find a way of having things move forward, without having them spend time together.


	6. Chapter 6

Robb stood in the ridiculously long line at Drip, the upscale coffee shop that his sisters were obsessed with.

 

He had offered to pick up Arya her hangover staple - a redeye and an onion bagel (poor Gendry) - on his way to pick her up, knowing that as a twenty one year old on a Sunday she would be in sore need of it it. They were going to visit Bran at his university a few hours away. He was presenting one of his papers to a group of students, faculty and alumni - an honor they’d found out after Sansa had been able to glean it out of their humble little brother - and he and Arya were going to represent the family. Usually they all tried to make things like that, but Sansa, Jon and Kitty had the birthday party of a classmate of Kitty’s, and Rickon had a rugby match, so it was just him and Arya.

 

He had offered to pick up coffee not only out of the kindness of his heart, but out of years of experience. Arya was a _nightmare_ when she was hungover, but if you could curb it she was the ideal roadtrip companion - she played DJ, came up with random games, and always had a slew of new ridiculous stories - so while he didn’t want his little sister to suffer, he really didn’t want to suffer either. He was starting to regret his offer though, considering he’d already been there for ten minutes and only three people had been served in that time.

 

“Robb?,” a familiar voice intoned to his thoughts. _Fuck_.

 

He had forgotten that this was her favorite place too. Her brown hair was straight and shiny and even though it was 10 am on a Sunday she had a full face of make-up. She wore a black t shirt dress and knee high boots, a bomber jacket on top. She looked beautiful, objectively so, but as he stared at her he realised that in the past few months he’d started to crave a fresh face. Well one fresh face in particular.

 

Even still, she was standing there with her arm wrapped around the waist of some tall, broadchested guy, and even the fact that it was a different guy than the one from the instagram post a few months before did nothing to mitigate his discomfort.

 

“Uh, hey Jeyne,” he said stupidly. He turned to the guy and held out his hand, “I’m Robb Stark.”

 

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, he didn’t know how serious the two were, but it certainly wasn’t the vacant look in front of him. Seriously, it seemed almost _chemically_ induced.

 

“I though you hated this place,” Jeyne said, and he was surprised that her look was anything but vacant.

 

“Trust me Jeyne, I do, and this visit is only reminding me why,” he said wincing. He’d meant to gesture to the insane line but he knew it had come off seeming like he meant because he’d run into her. She looked annoyingly triumphant at that. He tried to recover, “I’m just here to -“

 

“Hi handsome, I’m so sorry I’m late,” a sweet voice called to him as Ella approached from behind Jeyne. _She must have come in the back exit_ , he thought absently, but then he couldn’t think at all because she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips. It wasn’t a passionate kiss but it was like wildfire in his veins all the same because it was her. His arms went around her waist almost automatically, and when she moved to pull away he held her there for just a moment longer, because if this was the only chance he got, he wasn’t ready for it to be over. He felt her smile against his lips and when she did pull away she kept her arms around him, winking at him and saying, “Sansa says hello by the way, she wants us to come to dinner tomorrow, I said yes, I hope that’s okay?,” she asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly trying to get him to play along.

 

He would play along with just about anything she asked, but couldn’t really get over the fact that she’d just kissed him. That their lips had touched and he’d tasted her spearmint toothpaste and that she was still in his arms at this very moment, standing on her tiptoes and leaning against him as though she did it all the time.

 

So he could only seem to manage, “Mmhm.”

 

She smiled removing her arms from him and kissed his cheek, asking, “Can we see if they have those vanilla scones?”

 

“Sure, sweetheart,” he said, reaching his hand up to stroke her cheek. He told himself he was just playing along, but he wasn’t. He was taking advantage and he knew it, but by god he wasn’t sorry. “Whatever you want, you know that.”

 

She beamed up at him and hooked her arm through his, turning back towards the counter and then started, as though she’d only just noticed Jeyne.

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry, did we cut you?,” she asked and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. If she pushed him any further he was bound to start laughing.

 

“No, sweetheart,” he said pointedly, “This is _Jeyne_.”

 

He said it like they were the kind of couple who talked about everything. He knew she knew who Jeyne was, it was that awareness that was to thank for this little performance,

 

“Oh Jeyne, of course!…Hi I’m Ella…,” she said sweetly, leaning her head against his shoulder lazily, as though she wasn’t in the least bit nervous to be standing in front of _the ex_ , as though she was so secure in the relationship that it didn’t matter who was standing in front of her.

 

He pressed a kiss to her hair, trying not to close his eyes as he breathed her in. It felt so good being close to her like this, and not just because Jeyne was standing there dumbfounded, but because it felt _good_. She was leaning against him and she smelled like heaven and he realised in that moment that somewhere along the line he had begun to be more attracted to oversized sweaters than short dresses.

 

“Well we should be going,” Jeyne said, looping her arm through her companions.

 

Ella waved somewhat friendly, somewhat dismissively, and stood on her tiptoes to place her chin on his shoulder as though she was quite ready for them not to be standing there anymore.

 

When they’d heard the door close behind them, Ella went to move back but he leaned in before she could and said, “You’re my hero, Ella Baratheon.”

 

“My pleasure. It was nice saving you for a change,” she said with a grin, though she let go of him.

 

He missed her warmth as soon as it was gone, aching to feel her back against him. She looked beautiful and cozy in her black cashmere turtleneck and jeans, a pair of ballet flats on her feet and a dove grey peacoat on top. They must have looked nauseating to the other people in the cafe, not just because of the pda but because he was wearing a grey sweater and black coat as though they’d coordinated, but he didn’t really care.

 

“Do you mind if I stay up here? The line has already gotten worse…,” she asked him hesitantly.

 

He hated that she was always so hesitant. They’d spent loads of time together in the last month, she and Tommy had become constant fixtures at Jon and Sansa’s and the Stark siblings had folded them in until none of them could really understand how there was a time before they knew them. Even still, after the many time’s one or the other of them had texted saying _I’m at the park, are you?_ she still seemed wary of asking for anything.

 

“Sure, sweetheart,” he repeated. He grinned at her though, to pull it off as a joke and she smiled shyly back, so he added, “Whatever you want. You know that.”

 

They chatted easily in line. Conversation always seemed to come easy to them, and he learned that she wasn’t lying about Sansa. They’d been on the phone on her way over and she’d invited her, noting that he of course would be invited and so would Arya and Gendry.

 

“That was a nice touch by the way,” he pointed out. “The thing about Sansa. That was always a sore point in the relationship. Jeyne and Sansa really didn’t get along.”

 

“I know,” she said with a small nod. When he looked at her in surprise she offered, “Jon told me.”

 

_Of course he did. He is such a meddler! I’m going to start calling him Yente._

 

“Slow news day?,” he asked.

 

She grinned and shook her head, saying, “No…he just… it was last Saturday. He and I were playing with the kids when you and Sansa got back from your run and you guys were laughing as she hopped on your back and he mentioned how much she’d missed you. I asked if you’d travelled for work or something and he told me that when you’d been dating Jeyne you all didn’t spend quite as much time together as you do now. He didn’t say it in like a _bad_ way, he actually said that he’d wished Sansa had given Jeyne more or a chance, though no offense to you or her but I have to side with my girl on this one…anyway, he was just…grateful.”

 

That was the same day that Jon had told him how happy Sansa had been since Ella and she became friends. They’d all decided to eat on the back deck with the heaters on, and he and Jon had been grilling and the kids and wolves had been playing and Ella and Sansa had been sitting on the outdoor couch laughing so much they had tears running down their faces though they couldn’t seem to explain what was so funny.

 

“Yeah,” he said, though he felt like he’d just been punched in the gut. “I’m grateful too.”

 

“Good,” she said with a nod, “Because not all families are like yours, you know. Nothing should get in the way of that.”

 

_This girl. This girl. This girl._

 

“El-,” he started as her eyes drifted to the display case they’d gotten closer to.

 

“Ooh they _do_ have those scones I like!,” she said, clapping her hands, then turned back to him, a concerned look on her face, “Were you going to say something?”

 

“Just that I’m buying you one of those scones…as a thank you,” he said, shaking himself out of it.

 

“You have nothing to thank me for,” she said, shaking her head with an easy smile, which turned teasing when she said, “There are worst ways to spend a Sunday morning than kissing you.”

 

He was speechless and she knew it, letting out her melodic giggle. He was desperate to change the subject because he knew if he didn’t he’d find himself offering to kiss her again, and she didn’t want that.

 

“Are you and Tommy going to that birthday party?,” he asked her, idiotically only now wondering where her son was.

 

She kept a smile on her face but there was a wariness in her eyes when she said, “No… he’s with my cousin Shireen right now, I’m going to meet up with them a little later.”

 

“Oh,” he said. He knew Tommy wasn’t exactly outgoing with kids his own age, preferring the company of adults apart from Kitty, but something told him it wasn’t that hesitation that was the reason they weren’t going. Jon had told him a bit about what the other mothers could be like and while it was clear as day _why_ \- Ella, beautiful and young and unmarried constantly around their husbands with their ever expanding waists and ever wandering eyes - it didn’t make it okay. She’d never do anything like that, and the fact that not only she but her son was ostracised because of it made his blood boil. “Well I heard it’s going to suck anyway.”

 

She tried not to laugh, giving him a look of horror that he’d say that about a three year old’s birthday party, but she gave in, shaking her head.

 

“You’re terrible,” she said, though whether she was saying it to herself or to him wasn’t entirely clear.

 

“Yeah well,” he said, throwing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. They normally didn’t _touch_ , but the walls between them had broken down in this line, something about a kiss like that could do it for you, and under the circumstances it really _was_ just friendly, “You’re amazing, Ella Baratheon.”

 

She looked up at him, those green eyes of hers wide but hazy and said, “You’re trouble, Robb Stark.”

 

After that, the line moved entirely too quickly for his taste.

 

***

 

“You KISSED him?!,” Shireen asked her dumbfounded.

 

They were sitting on Ella’s couch while Tommy took his nap, cups of tea warming their palms after their morning at the park.

 

“Just a little,” Ella said with a sly smile.

 

“Just a little,” Shireen said with a huff, “I swear to god sometimes… well…how _was_ it?”

 

Ella thought about it. In truth she hadn’t stopped thinking about it, but the strange thing was she couldn’t really _remember_ it.

 

She remembered it had happened of course, remembered why. She’d heard Robb say _Jeyne_ , had seen his painfully beautiful ex-girlfriend standing there with some wastoid while Robb just looked uncomfortable and sad and, she just had to do _something_. Had the roles been reversed, he probably would have punched the guy, but she wasn’t a fighter and it would have been a little crazy to do that.

 

Not that what she’d done _wasn’t_ crazy. It was perfectly crazy, and yet, she didn’t regret it, not for a minute.

 

Because even if she couldn’t remember the kiss itself, she remembered the look of wonder Robb had given her, the feel of his finger stroking her cheek, the strength of him as she leaned against him. Further still, she remembered the way he’d convinced the person in front of them not to buy the last vanilla scone while she hid her face behind his back trying not to laugh. The way he’d walked her to her car even though it was two blocks away because she hadn’t finished her story. How when they’d high fived goodbye he’d wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her to him giving her a bear hug.

 

“It was Robb,” she said helplessly, “How do you think it was?”

 

Shireen was the only one who knew about her crush. She knew Sansa suspected, had seen the look she’d given her or Robb a few times when would walk into a room still laughing about something, or when she’d cut brownies the other week and handed him the middle piece immediately, and she was pretty sure Arya had caught her checking out Robb when he and Jon had come in shirtless and sweaty from sparring. But Shireen was the only one who _knew_. And she was invested.

 

“I think it was the last first kiss of your life, baby girl,” Shireen said.

 

Yep, it was safe to say she was pretty invested.

“Don’t start,” Ella said picking up the remote.

 

They still had an hour until Tommy would wake up which was enough for at least one episode of Maze of Crowns. She didn’t want to think about Robb Stark, and the young rebel turned King ought to do the trick in taking her mind off of him.

 

“I’m not the one who kissed him,” Shireen pointed out unhelpfully.

 

They turned back towards the television as the theme song swelled. Her phone buzzed and she snatched it immediately, trying not to frown when when she realised it was just a work email. She felt Shireen’s eyes on her but she refused to look over until she started nudging her with her foot.

 

When she finally looked over Shireen said, “There are worse things than falling in love, you know.”

 

_Who said anything about love?_

 

“Because it went so well the first time,” she pointed out grumpily though. She felt guilty immediately. If she hadn’t fallen in love, if she hadn’t made the terrible mistake of giving her heart to someone, she wouldn’t have Tommy. There was nothing to regret. “You know that’s -“

 

“I know,” Shireen waved her off immediately. “And it’s okay, Ella, to be afraid, or hurt. It doesn’t mean you love Tommy any less. Just because you got the greatest gift of your life doesn’t mean you have to like the way you got it.”

 

Ella set her tea down on the coffee table and laid her head in Shireen’s lap. She loved her cousin so fiercely, who could be so wild and so silly but who was so loyal and so good. They’d only gotten closer since Ella had confessed her pregnancy one teary afternoon and Shireen had never wavered. Being a year behind her she had followed her up North and had been by her side ever since.

 

She felt Shireen taking her hair out of it’s ponytail and stroking it soothingly.

 

“He’s different,” her cousin told her when she felt like she was nearing sleep herself. “You’re different around him. Harry made you weak, Robb makes you strong. There’s hope in that.”

 

She thought about how fearlessly she’d strolled up to Robb, not a second of hesitation before pressing her lips to his. The way she didn’t waver even when she turned to look into the wide blue eyes of the only girl he’d ever loved.

 

“Can we talk about you instead? Tell me about that boy…,” Ella said.

 

“You mean that _man_?,” Shireen asked and she could hear the sly grin even with her eyes closed.

 

Ella rolled onto her back, looking up at her, “Man?”

 

All she’d heard is that Shireen had met a guy on campus outside the library. She’d heard about his leather jacket and his cocky grin, the way he’d told her he loved her within the first five minutes, and repeated it through the first five orgasms.

 

“Man indeed,” Shireen said with a blush.

 

“Shireen Baratheon, I dare say you’re in love,” she teased and giggled as Shireen started wiggling, covering her face in her palms. “Are you finally going to tell me his name?”

 

“Now where would be the fun in that?,” Shireen grinned.

 

“He’s not a professor or anything is he?,” Ella asked. She rarely pulled the _older cousin_ card, especially when it came to dating as she wasn’t exactly an oracle in that department, but she didn’t want Shireen getting in over her head.

 

“Ha, no,” Shireen dismissed, “Though he does love it when I call him Sir.”

 

“Oh my god,” Ella said covering her eyes.

 

“Yeah he makes me say that too,” Shireen went on, just because she loved embarrassing her. “I wonder if Robb would like being called Sir…”

 

“Shireen!,” Ella said sitting up, “He absolutely would _not_ like that.”

 

“Oh so you’ve thought about it, hmm?,” Shireen triumphed. Then shrugged, “You’re right… Robb seems more like a _Daddy_ anyway.”

 

“I can’t even look at you right now,” Ella said, turning back to the television.

 

It didn’t take long for the hysteria to take over though and a laugh bubbled up inside of her. Shireen caught it too and soon they were doubled over, clutching their sides with tears running down their faces.

 

It wasn’t until she climbed into bed that night that she thought about the conversation further. She let her hands wander down her body into her pajama pants, stroking the soft skin between her legs.

 

She thought about Robb ordering her around, making her call him Sir, but she couldn’t seem to fit his face with that. She moved onto Daddy, and she his good girl, but that too rang false.

 

Finally she thought about that finger, the one he’d traced down her cheek. She thought about him taking it further, and further, running it over her lips, circling her nipple, trailing down until it too could slip underneath her pajamas. She thought of the look of wonder he sometimes gave her, and the feel of his arms around her, and it was only then that she could remember the feel of his lips against hers.

 

“Oh my god,” she cried with a shudder.


	7. Chapter 7

Ella heard the ringing as she held the phone to her ear with a shaky hand, the other locked around Tommy’s little one.

 

She should have just texted. It was stupid to call. _Why did I call?_

 

“Hi love,” Sansa chirped happily. _Oh that’s why I called._ “Are you on your way?”

 

They were meant to be having dinner. Ella had made a large salad, as all the Stark siblings would be there, and a tray of her lemon bars. She should be on her way.

 

“I’m so sorry to do this, but we aren’t going to be able to make it,” Ella said with as steady of a voice as she could. “I hate to do this last minute, but something came up.”

 

“Oh? Well could you drop by later? We can feed Kitty now and -,”

 

_“Miss can you tell me if you know anyone with a red jeep?”_

 

“Ella who was that?,” Sansa asked her, a worried tone in her voice.

 

“No sir, I don’t, I’ll just be a moment longer and then I’m happy to answer all of your questions, thank you,” she said to the man and then focused on her call, “That was a police officer. We just had a little situa-“

 

“ARE YOU OKAY? IS TOMMY? WHERE’S TOMMY?,” Sansa cried.

 

“Breathe Sansa, he’s fine, I’m fine. We aren’t harmed, we…we’re fine,” she said, because she really couldn’t go further than that and keep it together.

 

“What happened, Ella?,” Sansa asked.

 

“Somebody broke into the apartment while we were out, that’s all,” Ella said breezily, as though this sort of thing happened to everyone. “But we’re fine-“

 

“ _Someone broke into their apartment - they aren’t hurt - no they weren’t there - yes they’re there -_ listen love, Jon is going to come over there now, he’ll be there soon,” Sansa said.

 

“No! There’s no need for him to do that, the police are here, we are totally fine, totally totally fine,” she promised, putting a cheery smile on her face for Tommy. She needn’t have though, one of the officers had given him his hat and he was looking around at all the commotion with the joy only a child could muster.

 

“Don’t try that with me, I know you’re being strong for Tommy,” Sansa said, “He’s already on his way, please don’t fight him on it, okay? He’s got big strong shoulders, use them.”

 

“Okay,” Ella said nodding, ignoring the lump in her throat. She would never have asked either of them to come, but just the thought of Jon being there as the police officer walked her through the next steps made her feel better.

 

She went back to the officer and apologised for the call. He asked her a number of routine questions like _Do you keep any valuables in the house?_ No. _Any firearms?_ No.

 

He gave her the usual rote answer. _In cases like this it’s like picking a needle out of a haystack the size of this city. We’ll dot our i’s and cross our t’s don’t mistake me, but it’s highly unlikely that we’ll find him, and almost impossible that we’ll be able to retain any of your stolen property._

 

She nodded dumbly. Nothing in that apartment mattered to her other than Tommy. The thief wouldn’t have taken their family photos or drawings. She’d sold the diamond earrings she’d gotten for her sixteenth birthday to buy her car, her Highgarden purse had been first year’s rent. She’d sold her designer clothes and her other bags, even her shoes. She’d used the money to buy furniture and clothes for Tommy and diapers in the beginning, months of food and car insurance. She’d sold all of her needless trappings of wealth to build a life for her and Tommy and she’d never looked back, never hesitated.

 

“Sir, I’d like you to step back,” she heard an officer behind her say.

 

“Then you’re in for a disappointment,” she heard an angry voice return. _I didn’t realize he was coming too._

 

“Robb!,” Tommy said and wrenched out of her grasp.

 

“Tommy!,” Robb said, the officer relenting when he saw how Tommy sprinted towards him. He knelt down and Tommy rushed into his arms, and though Tommy was only excited to see him, Robb clung to him, his hand cupping the back of his head, squeezing his eyes shut. _Don’t cry, he’s fine. He’s fine._

 

“El,” Jon said and pulled her to him, “Oh you scared me.”

 

“I shouldn’t have called,” she said, shaking her head as he squeezed her tighter.

 

“You shouldn’t have hesitated,” he said knowingly looking around at the officers clearing out.

 

He grabbed an officer who was heading back to his car and pestered him for information. He didn’t take as well to the _We probably won’t catch him_ bit as she did, and growled that they _would_ catch him or they’d be hearing from the mayor.

 

When the policemen cleared out she stood with Jon, Robb and Tommy.

 

“Have you been back inside?,” Jon asked her. She shook her head and he and Robb shared a look. “Okay well here’s what I think. I’m going to take Tommy now over to Winterfell and were are going to have a party. And not just any party…”

 

“A PIZZA PARTY!,” Tommy shouted along with him.

 

“You and Robb will follow after you’ve had time to pack a couple of bags and do _whatever_ else you need to do,” Jon said meaningfully. The way he said it seemed to say _If you need to go take tequila shots, go take tequila shots._

 

“Wait - pack bags?,” she asked.

 

“You can’t stay here until the locks are fixed,” Robb said. _Oh right, they broke the locks. All three of them. They must have been so disappointed._ “You’ll stay with -“

 

“Me and Sansa,” Jon cut in.

 

Robb and Jon appraised one another for a minute until Robb finally nodded. She and Robb said goodbye to Tommy and Jon, and it took all of her strength not to hold Tommy to her. She wouldn’t have trusted him with nearly anyone else in that moment, but Jon gave her a last look before he let him hold on to one of his hands with both of his and lifted him up and down on the walk over to his truck, making Tommy dissolve into laughter and she knew she could trust him with anything.

 

***

 

She was silent on the way up to the fourth floor. She was so strong, so stoic, and it made him feel like a hysterical child.

 

He jumped in front of her as the elevator doors opened and if she thought he was crazy she wasn’t saying so as she gave him a kind look. It was a look that made him brave enough to offer her his hand. She slipped her small one into his and he felt her tremor as they neared her apartment, walking ever so slightly slower.

 

“It’s okay, Ella,” he promised her, “You’re safe.”

 

 _You’re a fool_ , he thought to himself as they entered her apartment, _How is she ever going to feel safe again?_ All they had to do was twist the doorknob because the bastard had broken every lock. Her apartment that was usually so tidy and spotless was turned upside down. It was almost as though they’d been looking for something in particular, destroying everything else in their wake.

 

She didn’t glance at the space where her television used to be, didn’t spare a look at the kitchen where they’d left the cupboards open. She just walked purposefully into Tommy’s room.

 

She flicked on the light and removed her hand from his, stepping inside. He held back, though it killed him to, and watched her. She moved around the room, picking up a stuffed animal off of the dresser, smoothing the bedspread. She stood in front of an empty hook and he tried to place what had been there before. Had it been a photo of them, one of the paintings she’d done for him?

 

The rest of the apartment was a disaster, but this room was wholly untouched except a single missing picture frame. He looked around the room, the light up stars on the ceiling, the train set, the stuffed animals. It could only be a child’s room, so perhaps it made sense that it was in better order - no thief would ever expect to find treasure in here. The question remained then, why he’d taken the picture.

 

 _He wanted her to know he was in here_ , he realised with a low growl.

 

She turned at the sound and the look on her face told him she knew it too. It was the only explanation.

 

He watched as a single tear wandered almost lazily down her cheek, pooling in the indent of her lips.

 

“What if he’d been here?,” she asked, and he crossed to her, taking her in his arms in the next moment because he knew what was coming. It was the only logical reaction.

 

She cried silently against his chest, her shoulders shaking with the intensity of it all.

 

“Shh, shh, he’s alright, he’s safe, he’s alright, nothing is ever going to happen to him, he’s safe, he’s safe,” he promised her, promised himself too.

 

He wouldn’t cry, he had to be strong for her, but the thought of someone entering her little boy’s room filled him with an anger and a grief that he hadn’t felt since the night his parents died.

 

He felt the anger and the sadness twice. Once for her, and once for him. He had realised somewhere in all of this that while he’d love anything that came from her. He couldn’t help it, she’d captured him so completely that he was incapable of not loving anything she loved. But he’d realised that he’d love Tommy no matter who he came from. The love he felt for that little boy was all-consuming, it surrounded him on all sides. So he felt it twice. Though once would have been more than enough.

 

He rubbed her back with one hand, the other cupping the back of her head the way he’d held Tommy only minutes before. Slowly her body stopped shaking and she started taking deep breaths. If he had any thoughts about letting her go, they evaporated when she placed her palms flat against his shoulder blades, holding him to her.

 

He whispered reassuring things in her ear, and if you asked him years later, he wouldn’t be able to tell you what he said. He’d only be able to tell you what it felt like as her back uncoiled under his touch, or the way it felt when she laid her cheek against his chest where he knew she could feel his heartbeat. He wondered if she noticed how erratic it was, and if she did, if she’d chalk it up to the situation or if she’d know it was for her.

 

“Are you starving?,” she asked him softly.

 

“No,” he said honestly, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever need food again.

 

“Can you… can we stay here for just a little longer?,” she wondered.

 

He pressed a slow, steady kiss to the top of her head, breathing in her now familiar but no less beguiling smell.

 

“Sure sweetheart,” he said, repeating their inside joke with a gravity and truth that had always lingered, but had never shown itself until this moment, “Whatever you want. You know that.”

 

He held onto her, reassuring himself that she too was safe. He’d been in the living room hanging out with Rickon when Jon had ran by saying that Ella and Tommy had been robbed and Robb hadn’t even thought, he’d just followed him out to the car. Jon had told him on the way over that they were fine, that it was Ella who called, that Tommy was safe and unharmed.

 

If he had thought about it, he would have been surprised that when he’d gotten there that his main thought had been Tommy. He lost hours, days, thinking about Ella but in that moment his concern had been for that little boy with his sandy brown hair and her green eyes that clung to him so innocently.

 

Now though, with her in his arms, he fought the lump in his throat. He’d repeated the same thing over and over to himself in the car _she’s okay she’s okay she’s okay_ , and now that he was here with her he couldn’t tell himself that anymore. So he held her, biting back the tears that threatened and knew that he’d never choose to let her out of his arms again.

 

He thought of what might have happened if she’d been here when the burglar came and squeezed her tighter. She didn’t complain though, burrowing deeper into his embrace like it was the safest place she’d ever known.

 

Three times. He felt it three times. And that third one nearly killed him.

 

***

 

She felt exhausted, entirely drained in a way that she hadn’t since the first months with Tommy when she was so young and so frightened. Frightened she’d do something and Tommy would suffer for it.

 

Like he had tonight.

 

He might not know it, but it didn’t matter. He had to sleep in a bed that wasn’t his own because she couldn’t manage a better place to live for them.

 

Robb loaded the few bags into the trunk of the car. He hadn’t left her alone for a moment, which was just as well. She didn’t want to be alone. More than that she wanted him. Wanted him so badly it felt like a need.

 

“Did you drive?,” she asked, she hadn’t thought to before.

 

“I came with Jon,” he told her, closing the trunk. “Do you want me to drive?”

 

She nodded at him and handed him the keys, not bothering to protest when he walked her to her side of the car. She couldn’t imagine what he was thinking, probably that she’d make a run for it like a lunatic.

 

He eased on the highway towards Winterfell. It was nearly a half hour to Jon and Sansa’s and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that he and Jon had made it there in fifteen minutes.

 

“I shouldn’t be staying with Jon and Sansa,” she said finally, looking straight ahead on the road.

 

“No, you shouldn’t,” he said, like he’d been thinking of it too.

 

“I should get a hotel,” she said, just as he said, “You should be staying with me.”

 

“What?,” they both asked one another, and in any other situation she might have found it almost humorous.

 

“Ella there is no way you are staying in a _hotel_ ,” he argued, like it was a four letter word.

 

“Well if I shouldn’t be staying with Sansa and Jon then I _definitely_ shouldn’t be staying with you,” she pointed out.

 

She chanced a look at him and saw his jaw twitch. His knuckles were white as his hand gripped the steering wheel.

 

They drove in silence, and she wondered if she should apologise. She hadn’t really expected him to react that way, and she was afraid now of saying the wrong thing and upsetting him further.

 

“Why?,” he asked her after at least a mile or two.

 

“Why what?,” she asked. Her mind had wandered admittedly, lulled into the safety of him at the wheel.

 

“Why should you _definitely_ not be staying with me, what’s so wrong with me?,” he questioned.

 

“Nothing’s wrong with you! You’re perfect!,” she exclaimed before she could stop herself. “I mean, well yes, fine I’ll commit to that, you are perfect… but you’re a _bachelor_ and you’ve already done so much for me and Tommy, I can’t ask you that.”

 

“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” he pointed out, like he had those months ago. She noticed that his knuckles were no longer white. “Begging.”

 

“Begging?,” she teased. “I’d hardly say you _begged_.”

 

He grinned and she bit her lip to hide her own. Their easy banter was like a vicodin after a hard fall and they were both high on the simple sensation of not feeling pain.

 

“I’m working my way up to it,” he amended.

 

He took the exit that would lead to the country road to Winterfell, and once they were out of the normal city traffic he pulled off to the side.

 

“Ella Baratheon,” he started. She refused to look at him and jutted her chin upwards, her eyes downcast in assent that he could in fact start to beg. He grinned at her, shaking his head. “Will you, please, for the love of god, stop being such a pain in my ass and come stay with me?”

 

“Your begging needs work,” she told him primly, but she laid her cheek against the seat back so she could look at him and she reached across the console to take his hand, because he’d held her so many different ways today that it didn’t seem so crazy and it felt so good.

 

“Ella,” he breathed out and it set her skin on fire, “Please. Let me go to sleep at night knowing you and your little boy are safe. I’m afraid I can’t bear it otherwise.”

 

She wanted to make a joke. To tease him about improving so quickly, but she found that it felt wrong to. You didn’t make light of the kind of thing he just said. You couldn’t.

 

“I’d like that,” she said, before she could talk herself out of it. “It will only be for a few days, just until I can get the locks fixed and the place cleaned up and -“

 

“As long as you need, Ella. Or want. This offer doesn’t have an expiration date,” he said as he pulled back onto the road.

 

“You just want me to make you my turkey bolognese,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him playfully.

 

“Why else would I beg?,” he said with that easy, dangerous grin.

 

***

 

Jon and Sansa protested Ella and Tommy staying with him, of course, but Robb had been prepared for that. He cited that his apartment was closer to Ella's work and Tommy's school, that it was calmer and would be less of a transition for Tommy. Sansa had argued harder until Jon had told her that it was fine, that if it ended up going on longer and everyone needed space that they'd come to Winterfell, that they were safe and fine and Robb would keep them that way.

 

Robb knew that it could go on indefinitely and he wouldn't need more space though. He'd nearly balked at Ella when she'd mentioned that he was a _bachelor_ , as if he was like Theon with a different girl on his bed every night. Though even Theon wasn't like that anymore, not since he'd met his mystery girl. Even if Robb _had_ been like that though, there was no one night stand in the world that could compare to the feeling of coming home to Ella and Tommy.

 

They'd all eaten together, except for Kitty and Tommy who were already asleep on the living room couch when he and Ella came in, Grey Wind, Ghost and Lady boxing them in on all sides.

 

He hadn't realized just how close Ella and Sansa had gotten until they walked in and Sansa had rushed to Ella, wrapping her arms around her and telling her how good and brave Tommy had been, how happy she was that they were okay, how nothing material mattered when that was the case. It had been Sansa who was crying, blaming the hormones, and he'd been surprised that Ella only smiled and stroked her hair. It was further along in the pregnancy now, safe enough to tell everyone, but whatever Ella said in return made it clear that she'd known for sometime.

 

Ella was quiet on the way to his apartment, and so was he with Tommy sleeping soundly in the back. Robb's jacket was draped over him so they didn't have to wake him to put his own on and Grey Wind was curled at his side, having appointed himself the little boy's personal protector.

 

Ella stared out the window as they got into Wintertown. It was nothing like King's Landing, it was a small city by anyone's standards, but the brightness of the lights contrasted to the bucolic darkness of Winterfell. He drove the car into the garage of his apartment building, pulling into the extra parking space that that had come with the apartment.

 

They got out and Ella pulled Tommy from his seat, keeping the jacket wrapped around him and holding the door open so that Grey Wind could follow. When Robb opened the trunk they came to the awkward realization of how difficult it would be to carry everything at once. It wasn't that anything they brought was so heavy, it was only the fact that there were two rollers and two duffels and Tommy. Robb knew he could come back and do another trip, but they were both so exhausted already, he reasoned, though he knew the real insane reason was that he didn't want to leave them. Not even in his apartment with its top of the line security and Grey Wind.

 

Robb took everything out of the trunk and closed it as quietly as he could. He picked up the two heavier duffles and placed them over each shoulder and then reached for Tommy.

 

He was surprised that Ella showed no hesitation handing Tommy to him. But she handed him to him like… well Robb couldn’t think in that moment what it was like because if he did he might do something really stupid. He also wasn’t such a fool as to remark on it, not when this is what he wanted and the realisation of it might make her curb the behavior. Ella merely moved Tommy’s head gently so that his face wasn’t against the strap of the duffle and hooked Robb’s jacket around her arm, grabbing the two small roller suitcases.

 

He lead them up, nodding to his doorman briefly and if the man was curious who the beautiful woman and child were he had been too long in his profession to make it obvious. Robb entered the passcode to get into his apartment and stepped aside to let Ella in.

 

He wondered what she thought of his apartment. It was sparse compared to hers, he didn’t have a knack for or a real interest in decorating, and he’d noticed how unhomey it was after spending time in hers. Still though, it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a large open concept layout. The couches and chairs were comfortable and had throws over them that had been hand knit by Sansa. He looked at her and she smiled at him tiredly.

 

He walked them into the guest bedroom and placed Tommy down on the king size bed. Ella stepped in next to him, her hair brushing his face as she went to remove Tommy’s shoes. They dropped the bags in one corner and then left, shutting the door behind them.

 

“Can I grab you something to drink?,” he asked her.

 

She shook her head, “No, thank you. You must be exhausted.”

 

He was, a bit. The events of the afternoon had drained him and the overwhelming relief that they were alright and that they were here had lended a heaviness to his bones. He wanted to fall into bed more than anything else - apart from one thing.

 

“I’m alright,” he said waving her off as he grabbed himself some water. “So, my bedroom is in there,” he said gesturing to the bedroom down the other hallway, “You take that and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

 

It was her turn to wave him off, saying nonchalantly, “Don’t be silly, we’ll share.”

 

He hadn’t been aware that spit takes happened in real life until he felt water flood his nose and soak the front of his shirt.

 

That was obviously the end goal here, Ella and him in a bed together. How many times had he thought about it in that very bed, imagining her golden hair tickling his face as it had just done a moment before, the feel of her soft skin underneath his fingertips, her long slender legs wrapped around him.

 

“Share?,” he asked though, like an idiot.

 

“Yeah that bed is enormous, we could fit ten of me and Tommy,” she said, looking at him like he really was an idiot. Somehow it wasn’t an unkind look though, more bemused than anything else.

 

_Oh, obviously._

 

“Right,” he nodded vigorously, too vigorously. He probably looked like a bobblehead. He had to get away from her.

 

“Robb I can’t thank you enough,” he went to protest but she shook her head, grabbing his hand and looking up at him with those green eyes that had held him captive since the first time he looked into them. “Don’t say it’s nothing, don’t say of course. I don’t…I don’t rely on anyone, I haven’t in years and the way…,” she paused and breathed and his whole body was under attack, all he wanted was to wrap her in his arms, to stop the trembling of her bottom lip with his own, “Sorry. The way that you’ve not only made me feel like I can rely on you, but also that I can trust you with _him_. There aren’t words.”

 

He took a step closer and her eyes widened and he was pretty sure she’d stopped breathing and he wondered in that moment if he was crazy. She was looking at him like a girl that wanted to be kissed and they were so close and it would be so easy to lean down and touch his lips to hers. But after what she’d just said, how could he risk being wrong?

 

He placed his fingers to her cheek though, marvelling at the softness even though he knew it would be the case and he placed the other hand to the back of her head pulling her closer to him so that he could press a kiss not to her lips like he wanted but to her forehead.

 

“That’s been the plan all along, sweetheart,” he told her and she looked up at him.

 

“You planned my apartment getting broken into?,” she teased.

 

“I told you months ago, not to be afraid to ask. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met and I have no doubts that if you and Tommy only had one another for the rest of your lives, that you would both be okay. More than okay. But… I want you to rely on me, to trust me. Can you do that?”

 

He knew there was something awful in her past. That there had been betrayals, that she had lost it all. It was clear as day that she’d come from wealth, great wealth. It was in her manner of speaking and the way she carried herself. He knew she didn’t live in a small two bedroom in a not so great part of town to prove a point. Something had happened to her and he wasn’t surprised that her ability to trust had gone the way of her trust fund.

 

So he knew that it was a step when she looked up at him and said, “Tonight I can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise we are getting closer. Are ya'll still with me?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this one is a bit of a beast...but I think worth it?

Robb entered his apartment at seven o'clock on Tuesday night, completely exhausted.

 

He'd been on calls since four am, and had left the office at five to go to the gym with Jon where their competitive natures had lended themselves to an insane workout. He hadn't even showered at the gym, he just wanted to get home.

 

And there, sitting on the couch underneath a throw that Sansa had knit for him, was why. 

 

"Robb!," Tommy cried when he closed the door. 

 

"Hey buddy," he said to Tommy as he patted Grey Wind on the head. The fact that he didn't whine told him that he'd been fed and let out already, just like last night.

 

He went and sat on the couch and saw that Ella had the book _Dragons Love Tacos_ in her hands. 

 

"Hey," he said as casually as he could. 

 

"Hey," she said with her easy smile back.

 

"Don't stop on my account, I love DLT," he said and she shook her head as though he was an idiot but started reading again.

 

He'd read the story to Kitty many times, it was one of her favorites, and Tommy giggled at all the same parts. 

 

"Which dragon are you Mommy?," he asked when she’d finished. 

 

Clearly having been asked this question many times before, Ella said, "Hmmm... I think I'm the blue one...which one are you, baby?”

 

"The little grey one," Tommy said and she nodded saying _ooh good choice_ , he took the book from her hands and crawled over to Robb.

 

“Which one are you?,” he asked and Robb scanned the page.

 

“Definitely this one,” he said, pointing to a dopey red one. Tommy giggled, content that Robb had made the right choice and climbed back into Ella’s lap.

 

He turned his face towards her neck and breathed her in, “You’re clean.”

 

“I know it’s _divine_ ,” she said, hugging him closer and breathing in his own clean smell.

 

Both of their hair was still wet, and they were in pajamas. Tommy was in ones with spaceships all over them, while Ella was wearing navy blue t shirt material pajama pants and a large sweater.

 

“Did you get the tub working?,” he asked her.

 

He never used his bathtub, but after the hysterics that had come from Tommy’s first shower yesterday (the highlight of which, of course, was when Grey Wind had gotten terrified by Tommy’s cries and gotten into the shower with him, splashing even more water on Ella), he had suggested that Ella feel free to use it for Tommy. Or herself.

 

He’d fallen asleep last night with _that_ image in his mind - coming home to find her in his bath, naked and wet and relaxed. Well he’d done more than _fall asleep_ to that image but, it lingered still.

 

“It worked perfectly, though Tommy likes to think of it as his _swimming pool_ , don’t you baby?”

 

Tommy nodded excitedly and Robb grinned. Ella had emphasised ‘swimming pool’ but all Robb could think of was _his_.

 

“Yeah…you should go swimming in it too…,” Tommy said, then added, “Maybe now.”

 

Robb laughed, “Are you trying to tell me something, buddy?”

 

“You stink,” Tommy said, blunt in the way only a three year old can be.

 

"Tommen Baratheon!," Ella said in faux-shock, "We do _not_ say that to people. It is very bad manners especially with someone who is ask kind to us as Robb."

 

"You only stink a little," Tommy amended.

 

"Tommy," Ella said, more firmly now.

 

He never really heard her reprimand him. Not that she was a pushover or anything. She set perimeters constantly _Okay just five more minutes, alright sweetheart? If you eat all this chicken and broccoli you can have a lemon square,_ but they were always preemptive, as though she knew where the fight would be so she curbed it. Tommy also rarely pushed her. He was so devoted to her and so good-natured that he liked doing the right thing.

 

"I'm sorry, Robb," Tommy said, adorably shame-faced, and then added, "Thank you for letting me use your swimming pool."

 

Ella hid her face behind Tommy, clearly worried that she'd start to laugh. He was so solemn that it was hard not to, and Robb felt quite proud of himself for keeping a straight face.

 

"You're welcome buddy, you can swim in it anytime," he said and made eye contact with Ella when he added, "You know that."

 

Ella looked at him the way she'd looked at him the other night. Like she liked the way he was looking at her and wouldn't mind being looked at that way for quite some time.

 

"Come on baby, say goodnight to Robb,” she said to Tommy, then turned to him and said, “By the way I left a plate for you in the oven.”

 

After Tommy said goodnight, Ella stood up with him walking into the guest bedroom. Grey Wind followed, he’d been sleeping in their room since they’d gotten there, and he heard her talking to both of them in soft, gentle coos, then heard Tommy’s laughter and Ella’s squeal and he could only imagine that Grey Wind was licking her face as she went to kiss Tommy goodnight.

 

He popped up to grab the plate from the oven. Last night Ella had made chicken Braavos and the night before had been her famous turkey bolognese. He couldn’t wait to see what she’d made tonight, and couldn’t ignore how much more his apartment felt like a home with laughter in the other room and food warming in the oven.

 

He heard his phone beep on the counter and grabbed it.

 

_Hey Ella, it’s Trystane. Should we set up that date? ;-)_

 

He placed what was now obviously not his phone back on the counter, clenching his fist.

 

He heard her finishing up with Tommy and didn’t want her to see him right now so he walked back to his room, the plate and his appetite forgotten.

 

***

 

Ella came out of the room she was staying in with Tommy, expecting to see Robb but the living room was open. She looked at the clock and saw that the Crowns/Direwolves game was starting in a few minutes, so she took a chance and wandered down the hall to his bedroom to see if he wanted to watch.

 

She knocked on his door and heard, “Come in,” so she opened the door.

 

 _Oh god_ , was her first thought.

 

There was Robb Stark in a pair of sweatpants and nothing else. His hair was tousled and wet and his chest still had droplets of water on it. She’d seen his body before, he and Jon never seemed to wear shirts while they worked out together, but this was different. He was so close and they were alone in his bedroom.

 

“I um…I…,” she started and then looked down at her feet.

 

“Yeah?,” he asked her in a tone she’d never heard from him before. It made her look up and she saw anger in his eyes that was immediately replaced with something softer and more vulnerable, and a bit of regret too.

 

_Of course he’s sick of you. You and your son have been staying at his house for the past few days and he hasn’t had a moment alone!_

 

“Sorry, I just wanted to see if you wanted to watch the game but… I’m crowding you…I didn’t-“

 

“Trust me Ella, us spending too much time together is _not_ my problem…,” he almost growled at her.

 

_Then what?_

 

“Who is Trystane?,” he asked her calmly.

 

“How do you-,” she started.

 

“Let me rephrase that, Ella, what night would you like me to babysit so you can go out on your _date_?,” he said mockingly.

 

She felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. She hadn’t realised the tone he usually used with her until it was taken away and replaced with this anger and hurt.

 

“I don’t…,” she started, trying to figure out how to make him stop for just a moment so she could explain.

 

“This whole time I’ve _been_ waiting. I’ve taken it slow even though all I wanted to do was rush headlong into this, I haven’t pushed I… I thought you just needed time. I thought you just needed to get _used_ to the idea of it. I didn’t think that you were just…not interested. I didn’t think..I’m such an idiot. I actually thought you wanted me too.”

 

“It’s not that simple,” she pleaded, shaking her head.

 

She closed the door and stepped further into the room, not wanting to wake Tommy.

 

A part of her had known all along. She’d seen the way he looked at her, knew that there was more to it than friendship. She’d fantasised about it, dreamt about it, feared it.

 

“It’s _exactly_ that simple,” he argued. “Why does it have to be more complicated than that?”

 

“Because it is,” she said, angry at the tears pooling in her eyes.

 

“That’s not a reason, Ella,” he said more softly now.

 

“I don’t want to lose you,” she said.

 

“Well you have a really funny way of showing it,” he said with an angry chuckle, “Going on a date with another man.

 

“Robb it isn’t a _date,_ it’s a playdate. I met Trystane and his _wife_ at the park when I was with Tommy and they were with their son. They had been on a date the night before and so every time someone mentioned a possible playdate he corrected them and said _date_. That’s all,” she said with a sigh.

 

“I’m sorry Ella,” he said shaking his head, “Damn it I’m so sorry. I don’t…I shouldn’t have reacted that way I just…what are you afraid of?”

 

“Tommy needs you too much. He…you have no idea how much you mean to him, Robb…you don’t… you have your siblings and Jon and Kitty and…before all this Tommy just had _me_ and… I’m not _enough_ , not anymore, not now that he knows…he can’t lose you,” she said, tears falling freely from her eyes now.

 

“Tommy will never lose me,” he said vehemently, crossing to her, cupping her face in his large hands and wiping her cheeks with his thumbs. He looked down at her in that earnest way of his and she couldn’t help lean her face into his palms. She needed him too, so badly, and she’d never been touched like this, never had someone hold her like she was their whole world, “No matter what does or doesn’t happen between you and I, Tommy will _never_ lose me. I love him, sweetheart, I love him so much I can’t even put it into words, do you understand? He can’t lose me, not ever,” he said and she couldn’t help but laugh amidst the tears because it’s all she wanted to hear, that no matter what Tommy was safe. Robb wasn’t finished though and said, “And neither can you-“

 

“You say that now,” she said, removing his hands from her face even though she ached for him to hold her. She couldn’t think straight when he was so close. “But what happens after we sleep together? You’ll lose interest and…leave me.”

 

“Is _that_ what you think?,” he asked her, and the look of hurt on his face tore her in two. “That all of this, this months of friendship the…everything you are to me, you think everything I’ve done is so that I can sleep with you and never call you again? Is that who you think I am?”

 

“No! No it’s not you…,” she promised, not understanding how to explain. “Guys lose interest after…it’s normal…”

 

“Not when they feel the way I feel about you, Ella,” he shook his head, “I want you, sometimes I feel like I’ll die from wanting you. But if you think for one moment that after _having_ you I could just…walk away? How can you think that? What have I ever done to make you feel that way?”

 

“Y-you haven’t done anything,” she said, “I told you, you’ve…changed my world. Before you I didn’t have anyone that I relied on, I didn’t have anyone that I knew would come the moment I called, I didn’t have anyone who…,” _loved me_ , “I trusted,” she said and the tears were spilling freely from her eyes as she went to cup his face, “And now I have you. And sometimes it feels like the fear of losing you, losing _this_ will tear me in two. I can’t, I can’t.”

 

“You won’t - sweetheart, why?,” he asked her, holding her wrists so she couldn’t step away.

 

“Because I’ll do something to disappoint you and you’ll leave. People always leave me,” she tried to make him understand.

 

“Ella I won’t -“ he started and she couldn’t stand it. He didn’t get it, how could he?

 

“You can’t promise me that!,” she raged. She never spoke about it and her body was fighting her now, but she went ahead because he had to understand. “My own _mother_ left me, Robb. Can you…Can you imagine me ever leaving Tommy? He could murder someone in cold blood and I wouldn’t turn my back on him but…the day I told her I was pregnant she kicked me out. She had never…we weren’t as close but…still. And my grandfather, my uncles, they let her. And I realised that day exactly how _easy_ I am to let go of. And Harry,” she chuckled harshly, “He told me he loved me. He took me out on dates and brought my mother flowers and he’d lost interest before the strip turned pink. So when I say you’ll leave me I don’t put the fault on _you_ , it’s me.”

 

He backed away from her and she felt relief. He finally got it. He understood. It would be so much simpler now.

 

When he looked back at her though, there were tears in his eyes and he said, his voice cracking, “I could kill them. I could kill them _all._ ”

 

“Robb,” she said, shaking her head.

 

She was against the wall in the next moment. She wasn’t sure how he’d gotten to her so quickly but she was there and he was boxing her in.

 

“Ella - they are _sick_. When a parent abandons a child, it says nothing about the child and _everything_ about the parent. Harry - well he’s an asshole, and there is nothing more to say about that because he just is and you are so much better off, Tommy is so much better off. But your Mother? Your uncles and grandfather? They were supposed to _protect_ you and they _failed_. And here you stand, four years later, and you still can’t see it. Ella you’re the strongest person I know, the kindest, the most thoughtful. You made a _life_ for yourself and for Tommy and they don’t get to take that away from you. Don’t let them do this. Let me show you how hard it is to let you go. It’ll be the easiest thing I ever do because the thought of losing you, of _leaving_ you is an impossibility. It would be like losing a limb, sweetheart, please. Let me show you.”

 

“You still want me?,” she asked, her cheeks hot. She was so sure that after he knew he would realise but he was looking down at her like she was the only truth he’d ever known.

 

“Oh I want you,” he said with a small grin. She’d been right all those months ago, that grin would get her into trouble. It made her do foolish things like believe that he might look at her the same way tomorrow, “I want you every way that you can want a person. The things I want to do to you would make your _toes_ curl, sweetheart, they’d make this pretty blush,” he said, tracing the line of her cheek down to her neck, just like she’d imagined, “spread farther and farther and I would kiss every inch of it. I want you, right here, right now,” he said and now his hands were on her waist underneath her sweater as he leaned in close.

 

She felt faint and oddly alive and her hands were on his chest, but even she couldn’t tell if she was pulling him closer or pushing him away. His blue eyes were stormy as he looked down at her and she had never wanted anything more than she wanted him to keep looking at her like that.

 

“Show me,” she said softly.

 

***

 

They were the two most beautiful words he’d ever heard.

 

“Show me,” she said.

 

Her small hands were on his chest and his were on her waist and her skin was so soft just like he’d imagined.

 

“What?,” he asked with a gulp.

 

“You said you wanted to show me how hard it was to let me go, you said you wanted me, right here, right now,” she said, a teasing smile perched on her lips, “Are you losing your nerve already?”

 

He dragged her closer by her waist, dragged her up so she was hardly standing at all and caught that sly smile on his lips. Explosions went off in his blood when he felt her sigh against him and he kissed her slowly, though everything in his body was yelling at him to devour her.

 

She clung to him, her arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed her body against his. He could feel her soft breasts, he could feel the beat of her heart, the arch of her back where he held her to him.

 

She broke the kiss and he protested without realising it, a low grumble but then she rocked back on her heels and raised her hands above her head. Her intentions were clear but even still he kept his eyes on hers as he fingered the hem of her sweater, pulling it slowly up her body, giving her every chance to tell him to stop while praying she wouldn’t.

 

She made no protest and soon her sweater was up and over her head, onto the floor for he had no further need of it. He smoothed her hair and then finally let his eyes travel down her body. The small swells of her breasts were covered in a lacy light pink bralet, as feminine as she was. He tugged down her pajama pants down, revealing matching underwear and he couldn’t stop himself from tracing the lines of it with his fingers to the back of the boy shorts until he could cup her bottom in his palms.

 

She let out a little moan and his eyes raked back up her perfect body, swirling around her long legs, taking in the beauty mark over one of ribs, her delicate collarbone, her long slender neck, that golden hair that he wanted surrounding him like a curtain, up to her bow lips, her aristocratic nose, and finally back to those green eyes, the shackles of his prison.

 

She took a step closer to him, and he felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest when she traced her fingers over his abs. She moved behind him and he felt her lips against one shoulder blade and then the other. She tugged down his sweatpants and he was glad she was behind him so that she didn’t see how painfully aroused he was. She continued her survey, and one of her hands fell down and cupped a butt cheek, pressing a soft kiss to one of his biceps.

 

She stood back in front of him, and her eyes wandered down him and he’d never felt more on display. She placed her hands back on his chest, running them up until they rested on his shoulders and pressed a kiss to his sternum.

 

“This body,” she said softly, shaking her head. He couldn’t help but be flattered that this goddess of a woman was looking at him so appreciatively.

 

“Is that all I am to you?,” he asked in a teasing voice, cupping her cheeks and turning her face up to look at him.

 

He wasn’t prepared for the look in her eyes, the look he knew he’d been giving her for months. He crushed his lips to hers before she could answer, and when before it had been soft passion it was now an insatiable need.

 

They stumbled back towards his bed until he felt it at the back of his legs and he eased back, picking her up at the same time so that they landed with her straddling him.

 

With her on her knees above him her lips were so much more accessible and he took advantage, kissing her with everything that he had. He wanted to make her forget every other kiss, every kiss that ended in disappointment, in betrayal.

 

She pressed her body against him and he tilted her head back so that he could press hot, open mouth kisses to the subtle slope of her neck. He pulled her bralet up and over her head and placed a hand on her butt and pulled her right up against him, making her arch her back and expose herself to him.

 

He took a rosebud nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it.

 

“ _Robb_ ,” she sighed as he sucked it softly.

 

He had so many other ideas as to how to make her say his name exactly like that so he stood up and flopped her gently onto the bed, tugging her underwear off of her. He groaned when he saw her, pink and glistening for him and she covered her eyes with her hands in embarrassment, even though he was just as naked and excited for her.

 

“No no, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her hands away gently, planting a soft, lingering kiss to her lips, “Keep those eyes of yours on me.”

 

He moved her up the bed until her head was resting on his pillows and then he moved back down her body. He pulled her legs open and kissed her inner thighs. He could smell her and he felt dizzy, and he wanted to make her feel that way, so he pressed a kiss to her center.

 

She jutted her hips in surprise and he grinned up at her before pressing his tongue to her, licking his way up slowly, savoring every taste. His tongue found her pearl and he lapped around it almost lazily, causing a slow tremor. Everything about her was so uniquely feminine, so light and genuine. He reached his hands up to cup her breasts, wanting her to crumble around him, but she intercepted them with her own hands and she laced her fingers through his.

 

He licked her, rolling his tongue against her, and she squeezed his hands, holding onto him as her orgasm crashed over her. He held her through it and it nearly beckoned his own as he felt her body contract and roll against him, his name tumbling from her lips so sweetly.

 

He stayed where he was, resting his chin on her abdomen, her legs hooked over his shoulders, her hands in his. She took slow, rickety breaths and he thought that he might be content to die, right where he was, with her happy and satisfied beneath him.

 

She tugged his hands and he moved back up her body, until he rested between her legs. He propped himself up, and kissed her tentatively. She hesitated slightly, and he knew then that she’d never tasted herself before, but she opened her mouth to him, her hand weaving into his hair.

 

“Robb,” she said when they broke apart, “I need you.”

 

“You have me,” he promised her.

 

She shook her head and said, “No…I _need_ you,” and then slyly and meaningfully let her eyes scan down his body.

 

He kissed her deeply, groaning against her because there was nothing more intoxicating than her wanting him after all this time.

 

He moved away from her to grab a condom out of his bedside table and put it on, touching himself as little as possible, and then he settled himself back between her thighs.

 

He kept his eyes on her as he eased his tip inside of her. He saw stars as she moved her hips, taking him in further, and he moved towards her, until he was buried to the hilt. She was perfection, and they fit together like puzzle pieces.

 

He moved in her slowly, as much for him as it was for her. She fit him like a glove and he was terrified that he would be unmanned altogether too soon.

 

Her hands were on his back, tracing up and down with featherlight fingers. He rolled his hips against her and felt himself going deeper inside of her.

 

“ _Oh Robb,”_ she cried softly.

 

“Do you feel that, Ella?,” he asked her, propping himself up on one arm so that he could trail his finger down her cheek, looking into her shining eyes. “Tell me you feel it,” he pleaded, “Tell me you understand, that you believe me.”

 

It was a physical need, for her to understand that there was no leaving her. That there had never been a moment since the first time they’d met that he could ever live in a world without her. It had never been truer than it was in this moment and he needed her, desperately, to understand.

 

“ _Yes,”_ she sighed, “Yes I feel it,” and there were tears on her cheeks again but she was smiling too and so was he, “ _I believe you, Robb…whatever you say, from now on._ Because…”

 

“Say it,” he urged, moving faster but still as gently as he could, “Sweetheart you know the truth, say it.”

 

“Because you love me,” she whispered.

 

He kissed her deeply, pulling away and saying, “Because I love you. It explains everything, it’s the only thing you need to understand. I love you, Ella,” he breathed, thrusting into her as he felt her tightening around him, “Oh god do I love you.”

 

“ _Robb_ ,” she breathed, her eyes flashing violently, and then he felt it.

 

Her entire body seized him and he fell over the edge, into the oblivion she provided.

 

***

 

He was delightfully heavy on top of her. He’d collapsed on her after they’d reached their peaks and buried his faced in her neck. She stroked her hand through his soft curls, the other hand trailing down his spine.

 

“I love you too,” she whispered in his ear.

 

He felt him smile against her before he pressed a kiss to her neck. He moved to get off of her but she held him to her. He took advantage of it and rolled on his side, bringing her with him.

 

Her leg was hitched over his hip and her other was between his and he had his arms around her and hers were around him and they were so tangled that it felt like they were sharing limbs. _It would be like losing a limb._

 

She leaned in and kissed him, this beautiful man that somehow had decided to belong to her. He kissed her back slowly, making her toes curl just like he promised.

 

He cupped her butt and pulled her against him so that she could feel him growing for her. Her body responded in kind and she shivered against him.

 

“Ella, sweetheart, if you keep shivering like that I’m going to take you again just to warm you up,” he threatened.

 

“Promise?,” she teased, leaning in and taking his bottom lip between hers and nibbling it.

 

He growled at her and held her by the back of her head so that his lips could devour hers. He gave her lips respite, kissing her neck and her earlobe.

 

“Robb?,” she asked, shivering against him when his teeth tugged on the shell of her ear.

 

“Mmmhm?,” he asked, too busy nuzzling her.

 

“Can I try being on top?,” she asked curiously.

 

He fell backwards, pulling him on top of her. She straddled him and she felt him at her entrance.

 

“Sure sweetheart,” he said with a grin and sat up. He picked her up, easing her gently onto him, “Whatever you want. _You know that_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeek let me know what you think?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> can't stop, won't stop

He woke up looking into a pair of beautiful green eyes.

 

“Morning buddy,” he said with a yawn, looking down to make sure that he was covered.

 

“Mommy’s sleeping,” the little boy explained, and Robb fought the urge to look behind him.

 

He knew she wasn’t there, having gone back to her and Tommy’s bed very late, not wanting to risk him finding her in here. He felt a bit smug, that Ella was still sleeping. Their third time had nearly killed him, and she’d needed help getting dressed afterwards she was so boneless. He found though, that when he was pulling her sweater back on her that there was a whole part of her he hadn’t kissed yet, and had kissed down her back, and her head had been thrown back, her golden hair tumbling around him, and he couldn’t bear to let her go so he pulled her back and they came together like they’d been doing it for as long as they could remember.

 

“Are you hungry?,” Robb asked, sitting up after realising he’d thrown his sweatpants back on.

 

Ella had been getting up with Tommy every morning since he was born, and if he could, he wanted to let her sleep a little more. Tommy nodded so Robb got up, picking up the little boy and throwing him over his shoulder as he padded down the hall.

 

He poured him a bowl of cereal. He knew Ella was prone to baking muffins and making pancakes, but that was not really in his wheelhouse. The most he could do was cut up half a banana and sprinkle it in his bowl, so he did. He chomped on the rest as he made coffee.

 

“Did you sleep well?,” Tommy asked curiously.

 

He hadn’t been asked that question in a long time. Not since he was in the kitchen at Winterfell, while his father made him breakfast on Sunday mornings.

 

He felt like he’d been transported back in time. The quiet and the early morning light, a beautiful mother asleep in another room.

 

“Very well,” he managed, as the coffee started dripping into the pot. He ruffled Tommy’s hair and sat down in the chair next to his booster seat. “Did you?”

 

Tommy nodded, chomping on his cereal, “I like sleeping here. How long are we staying?”

 

 _As long as you want. Forever sounds pretty good to me,_ Robb wanted to say, but he couldn’t.

 

“As long as you and your Mommy need,” Robb said though, “I like you guys sleeping here too.”

 

Tommy grinned, believing him at his word. He wondered if Ella had ever been so trusting, she who was so prone to doubt. She couldn’t be blamed for it. She was a smart girl, and smart girls listened to what life told them. Her life had taught her that people were not to be trusted, that the rug could be pulled out from under you the moment you deviated from a pre-written plan.

 

The coffee pot dinged, letting him know it was ready and he got up, pouring a cup of water for Tommy into one of his sippy cups and pouring himself a mug of coffee. He placed the cup in front of Tommy and smiled at the dutiful way he picked it up immediately in his two little hands, taking a big sip with an _ahh_ before continuing to eat his cereal.

 

Robb sipped his coffee for a moment and then placed it down, making sure to fill Grey Wind’s food and water bowls. The fact that his wolf was nowhere to be found meant he was still sleeping with her. The first day or so, he hadn’t let Tommy out of his sight when they were in the apartment, but now he seemed to be confident that the little boy was safe.

 

“Robb do you have a Daddy?,” Tommy asked him.

 

His throat seized. It was already too much, with the memory of being at Winterfell with his Dad and now this.

 

“I did,” he nodded. “I had the best one in the whole world.”

 

“Like Jon?,” Tommy asked and Robb nodded.

 

“ _Exactly_ like Jon,” Robb agreed.

 

Jon was so like his father it was scary sometimes, especially with the similarities between Sansa and their mom. Sometimes he’d walk into a room, and they weren’t kissing, but it felt like they were for how much he regretted interrupted them. They’d just be looking at one another, the deep tenor of their relationship having long outgrown words. Then Kitty would come in, and it would be just like the way his father used to look at Sansa, like every bright, every kind and good thing rested in that little body, and the notoriously gruff Jon Snow would become a poet, a jester, anything, anything for his little girl.

 

“I don’t have a Daddy,” Tommy said sadly.

 

He ached for him, one fatherless boy for another.

 

“But you have your Mommy,” Robb pointed out, his voice nye on breaking. “She’s pretty wonderful.”

 

“She’s mahveloos,” Tommy agreed.

 

Robb grinned at him. It wasn’t exactly a surprise that Tommy would love Ella as much as he did. She was his mother, his whole world, and she was an excellent one. She was so patient and kind, she listened to him and never told him he was too young to understand something, always finding the words to explain it. She was vibrant and beautiful and she loved him so fiercely, like loving him was her identity. Even still, he loved that Tommy understood just how perfect she was.

 

“But sometimes I still pretend that you’re my Daddy,” Tommy confessed sadly.

 

All he wanted in the world was to wrench that little boy from his booster seat. To hug him and tell him how loved he was, and how he’d give anything, _anything_ , for the privilege of being his father. To tell him that there would never be a day from now on where he wouldn’t know what it was to have a father’s love. That he would do whatever he could to show him how to be a man. That he would always be there for him, to teach him, to listen, always. That he promised to love him and his mother until it killed him.

 

“Want to know a secret?,” Robb asked him, wiping a tear that had fallen. Tommy nodded, “Sometimes, I pretend that too.”

 

***

 

Ella woke with a delicious ache in her bones, and a very large, soft head on her stomach.

 

“Morning, handsome,” she sighed, rubbing Grey Wind’s head and felt his woodsy hum lulling her back against the pillows.

 

He’d been sleeping with her and Tommy every night they’d been here. She’d tuck Tommy in and Grey Wind would hop up, sleeping at the foot of the bed, on guard, one paw reaching up to touch Tommy’s feet. When she’d come in a few hours later, getting in on the other side, he’d get up with a little grunt and come to lie next to her like he’d been waiting for her.

 

“Sorry I kept you last night,” she said with a small smile. He licked her face and she giggled, hugging his big head to her and kissing him.

 

“El?,” a soft voice called as the door opened.

 

“Hi,” she answered shyly.

 

Robb came in, wearing a t shirt over his sweatpants and carrying a mug of coffee. She sat up, moving over slightly so he could sit next to her as he handed it to her.

 

“Hi sweetheart,” he said, one hand on her leg, the other stroking Grey Wind’s head who was nuzzling against him.

 

“Did Tommy wake you?,” she asked, suddenly concerned that her son wasn’t there.

 

Robb looked almost ashamed for a brief moment before he shook his head, “No, no I was up. We had breakfast, he’s just watching Thomas in the living room.”

 

Ella nodded and sipped her coffee. It was rich and hot and it had been made for her, which made it more delicious than anything she’d ever tasted.

 

Robb was fidgeting and it was making her nervous, so she took another sip and placed it down on the bedside table.

 

“Robb is everything-,” she started, but he cut her off.

 

She hadn’t gotten used to kissing him. She wasn’t sure that she ever would, which was more than alright with her. He had one hand cupping the back of her head and the other on her chin, like he was afraid she’d pull away, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer so he’d know that she wouldn’t.

 

He released her and she didn’t want him to, so she got up on her knees and crawled into his lap, wrapping her legs around him. The smile he gave her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world and she pressed her forehead against his.

 

“I was thinking…,” she started.

 

“Don’t do that,” he said and there was a smile in his voice.

 

“Well tonight… I could feed Tommy and then…maybe after he goes to bed…we could have dinner together?,” she asked.

 

“Like a date?,” he asked her hopefully.

 

“Like a date…,” she confirmed.

 

“That sounds like heaven…,” he started, breathing out and said, “But…what if I came home early and we all had dinner together?”

 

 _Like a family_ , she thought but didn’t say.

 

“Okay…,” she nodded.

 

“And then when Tommy goes to bed,” Robb said, his voice getting lower, “Then we have our date.”

 

The air got thick around them, and memories from last night, of them in this exact position with fewer clothes flooded her senses. She felt him growing underneath her and her breath caught. His eyes darkened and he was so very close to her, his hands underneath her sweater on her back.

 

“Cool spider!,” Tommy exclaimed as he came in the room.

 

It was like cold water had been thrown on her and she moved to get out of Robb’s arms and probably would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her.

 

“Your mommy’s been helping me practice,” Robb said, letting out a pain-filled laugh when she pinched him.

 

“Why don’t you go brush your teeth, baby, I’ll pick out your clothes for the day,” she said to him and he nodded, walking to the guest bathroom.

 

Robb stood up, letting her down though not quite releasing her.

 

“So tonight?,” he asked her.

 

“Tonight,” she nodded, a million different things in that single word.

 

***

 

_Sansa: Will you guys come to dinner tonight?_

 

_Robb: We can’t tonight, Dove, but how about this weekend?_

 

_Sansa: Definitely, Ella and I are taking the kids to the movies on Saturday. We could all do dinner here after?_

 

_Robb: That sounds great, I’ll check with Ella tonight._

 

_Sansa: Ooh on your daaate?_

 

_Robb: Well…_

 

_Sansa: OHMYGOD_

 

_Robb: Calm down._

 

_Sansa: You calm down._

 

_Robb: I can’t._

 

_***_

 

_Jon: I heard from Chief Mormont about your apartment today_

 

_Ella: I’ve got friends in highhhh places_

 

_Jon: Karaoke this weekend, we won’t hold you to the proper lyrics…_

 

_Ella: Yes to karaoke! What did the chief say?_

 

_Jon: He said that there had been a string of robberies in the area, and that they had a lead but it hadn’t quite panned out. He also said that if you’d feel better he’d be happy to have a few officers come over and check the window locks and advise on some reinforced door locks but I don’t know._

 

_Ella: I think that makes sense, don’t you?_

 

_Jon: Hang on, I’m going to call you._

 

“Hello?,” she asked, stepping away from her desk.

 

“Hi,” Jon said and she heard the door to his office close over the line.

 

“Why did the chief call you?,” she finally thought to ask. She’d been told that she would hear as soon as they found anything out.

 

“I’ve uh…made a bit of a nuisance of myself,” he confessed, making her heart swell.

 

“Jon you didn’t have to do that, you’re so busy…,” she protested.

 

“Never too busy for my family,” Jon said simply and went on before she could say anything to that, “Anyway, I…don’t think you should go back to that apartment. Theon, have you met him? Anyway he’s an _ass_ but he’s the best lawyer in the North so that really helps when he’s on your side. He can get you out of your lease in about two seconds and I really feel strongly that you should.”

 

She had to admit she’d been thinking about the same thing. She had some savings, money she put away by cutting Tommy’s hair and her own, by going to the library rather than the bookstore, walking more often than driving, all the little things she’d never thought of in her youth had become the secrets to her survival. Even still, she didn’t have enough for a downpayment anywhere that would be nicer, safer. She might be able to pay a bit more in rent but the idea of Tommy’s safety net disappearing each month made her nervous.

 

“I don’t…there’s nothing on the market right now that…,” she breathed out. She still had a deep disdain for speaking about money, one of the things from her youth she hadn’t been able to shake, “That would be better…”

 

There was silence on the other end and it spoke louder than his words ever could. She knew he was thinking about how to broach what he wanted to say and closed her eyes not wanting to hear it.

 

“Just…promise me you’ll hold off, Ella,” he said, “Don’t go back right away, alright? Wait until this weekend when we can talk in person. Or we’re around if you want to talk sooner, and if Robb’s isn’t working out you know you can still come stay with us.”

 

She couldn’t help the smile in her voice when she said, “Robb’s is working out just fine…”

 

“Ella…,” he said and she could hear his grin. He hadn’t been exactly subtle in what he wanted for the two of them. She laughed and so did he.

 

“You should talk to him about it too…,” he pointed out, “I’m sure he’ll have some thoughts.” She sighed, knowing he was right. “I know what you’re thinking Ella, and you’re wrong,” Jon added quietly. He had never said that to her. They were famously of one mind, everyone throwing their hands up at the dinner table during discussions as they’d each add in supporting facts for the other’s argument. So it made her listen. “There’s no shame in letting the people who love you take care of you.”

 

“But Jon…,” she started.

 

“Imagine me without Sansa,” he said and that stopped her.

 

She couldn’t picture him without her. Jon was the greatest husband she could imagine. He was brave and gentle and strong, an incredible father and partner and he looked at Sansa like she was responsible for the sun rising every day. But Sansa took care of him too. She guided him more than anyone else, a quiet word speaking louder than a thousand voices. She’d started a foundation in memory of his mother, raising money for cancer research and another in his name, which provided counselling and outreach for children who’d lost parents to disease. Sometimes when he’d come in after a long day he’d sit on the floor in front of her and she’d ease herself onto the ground, wrapping herself around him and he’d lean his head back and just _be with her_.

 

“I can’t,” she said honestly. “But this is…”

 

“Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s different.”

 

***

 

His assistant Alys had been shocked when he’d told her he’d be heading out early, to tell anyone outside his family who called that he was gone for the day and unreachable until tomorrow. She’d grinned though, telling him to have fun with Ella.

 

_How do you know about Ella?_

 

_I only put Sansa’s calls through to you about half the time. Plus you wrote her name on the Smythe brief._

 

_How did you know it wasn’t just somebody from their company?_

 

_Because you drew a heart around it._

 

That had ended _that_ conversation, and he’d made for the elevators at 4:30.

 

His first stop was to the wine store, where he picked up a bottle he thought would pair nicely with chicken, which is what Ella had told him she was making. He stopped next at Lacey’s ice cream shop and picked up a large container of their honey lavender, which he’d learned was Tommy’s favorite one afternoon. He had just enough time for his last stop if there wasn’t too much of a line.

 

He showed up at his apartment at 5:15, entering to mild hysteria. Grey Wind turned and looked at him, his tail wagging before he looked back towards the scene.

 

“Sing it Mommy,” Tommy commanded, holding a spatula up to her mouth.

 

 _Why do you build me up, build me up, buttercup baby just to let me down…_ Ella crooned into the spatula.

 

“Robb!,” Tommy said excitedly when he saw them and Ella turned around, immediately straightening up with a surprised smile.

 

“Don’t stop on my account,” he pleaded with a grin.

 

 _I’ll be home, I’ll be beside the phone waiting for youuu_ , she sang in her sweet voice, tilting the spatula back towards her.

 

“Your turn!,” Tommy said and pointed the spatula at him.

 

Robb placed his things down on the kitchen table and hurried over, picking him up off the counter and spinning until he released that glorious little giggle, shouting into the spatula _I need yoouuuuu more than anyone darlin’._

 

“Mommy dance with us,” Tommy ordered and Ella pursed her lips trying to hide her smile.

 

Robb shifted him to hold him with one hand, offering his other to Ella. She turned down the stove and took his hand, then rolled herself in dramatically, planting a kiss to Tommy’s cheek. She spun back out, her golden hair fanning around her and he knew that he and Tommy had identical expressions of awe.

 

She grinned at him and he couldn’t help but pull her in closer, until she rested one arm around his shoulder, his wrapping around her waist. The song ended entirely too soon for his taste and Ella gave him another smile before she went back to the stove and turned it back on.

 

It was only then that he noticed how good everything smelled, and his mouth watered in anticipation.

 

“Look Mommy, your favorite,” Tommy said pointed to the table, “Peeyunees.”

 

“What baby?,” Ella asked and then her eyes fell to the kitchen table where a bouquet of nearly open peonies rested, covered in brown wax paper. “Oh! Oh they’re beautiful…”

 

Robb placed Tommy down and went to grab them to bring them over to her properly.

 

“For you,” he said softly.

 

“You brought me flowers,” she said with a small smile, biting her lip.

 

“You cooked me dinner,” he pointed out.

 

“I love them,” she said, taking the bouquet from him and standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, “And you,” she whispered in his ear.

 

He closed his eyes, committing all of this to memory. He wanted this, just this, every night for the rest of his life, apart from one thing. He didn’t want her to have to whisper that she loved him.

 

He knew why she did. Knew that she didn’t want to confuse Tommy, not when everything between them was so new. But after his conversation with Tommy this morning he knew that things had already gotten blurry, and the way he was looking up at them now, a wide smile on his cherubic face, made Robb think that it wouldn’t be so long before she’d feel comfortable.

 

“And for little boys who eat their whole dinner,” he said, snatching Tommy up and holding him above his head. He squealed in delight and Robb continued, “Do you know what they get?”

 

He brought Tommy over to the table and pulled out the lavender ice cream, releasing a delighted little noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a squeal when he saw the familiar logo. He hadn’t learned to read yet, but he had a gift for memory.

 

They put the ice cream in the freezer and he set Tommy down and grabbed a vase off the top shelf and filled it with water. Ella was busy at the stove, sautéing something leafy and green so he unwrapped the flowers and placed them in the vase and set it in the center of table. She’d already set it for three, and they’d place little table cards with each of their names in Tommy’s large writing. He was at the head with her and Tommy on either side, and he fought the urge to take a picture and send it to Sansa, knowing it would circulate through their family group text before they’d taken their first bites.

 

The only thing she hadn’t gotten out was wine glasses, and he couldn’t help but stroke her hair as he reached to grab them from the cabinet next to the stove.

 

“ _I love you too_ ,” he whispered in her ear as he moved around her, setting the glasses down on the table.

 

“Okay baby,” she said to Tommy over her shoulder, “Dinner’s almost ready, can you please go wash your hands?”

 

He noted how polite she always was to Tommy, always saying please and thank you. It wasn’t that she lacked for manners with anyone else, far from it, but he could tell she took extra care with him. She was obviously trying to teach him manners, just like Sansa tried with Kitty.

 

Tommy nodded dutifully and ran into the guest bathroom where they’d put a step stool for him. Robb figured he had about fifteen seconds and he got to her in less than two. She must have heard him coming because she turned around and their lips met softly.

 

“How was your day?,” he asked her as he released her, not wanting Tommy to catch them in another situation like he had that morning.

 

As sure as he was that Tommy would ultimately be alright, thought that he probably already _knew_ without knowing exactly what there was to know, he didn’t want to force her to have the conversation before she was ready.

 

“Perfect,” she said softly, laughing at herself and shaking her head, “Because I knew I was coming home to you.”

 

_That’s right sweetheart, you’re home. You’re both home._

 

***

 

Robb and Tommy settled into the table. She picked up Tommy’s plate and cut half a piece of chicken, cutting it into little bites for him, before placing some potatoes on his plate.

 

“Okay, baby, if you don’t like the kale you can have carrots, but will you try it for me?,” she asked him.

 

“Mmmhm,” he nodded, taking a sip of milk.

 

She smiled at him lovingly. He wasn’t a terribly picky eater, so she knew she was lucky anyway, but he was always good at trying things too. Sometimes too good, when she was trying out a new recipe. The black bean burgers had _not_ been a hit with either of them but Tommy had chewed his dutifully, tears pooling in his eyes because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by spitting it out. She placed his plate down, planting a kiss to his soft curls before taking her own seat.

 

Robb waited for her to lift her own fork before he lifted his, a remnant of a gentle upbringing she was familiar with, and started with a bite of kale.

 

“ _Oh my god_ ,” he said and her eyes flashed to him. She knew Tommy might struggle with it, but it was a simple recipe of just kale, olive oil and a bit of pepper so she wasn’t sure that Robb should be. He smiled as he chewed though and shook his head, “It’s so good.”

 

She grinned at him. He was so _easy_ , the benefit of him not knowing how to cook at all, the simplest things could cause a reaction like that.

 

Tommy picked up his fork, a rarity, and took a small bite of kale, chewing thoughtfully.

 

“ _Oh my god,”_ he parroted and Ella snorted. She couldn’t really tell if he was making fun of Robb or emulating him, but either way it was scarily accurate.

 

“Is that what I sound like?,” Robb asked incredulously.

 

“Dead on, I’m afraid,” she said and he chuckled, placing a piece of chicken in his mouth.

 

Both her and Tommy turned to watch him as he chewed. He closed his eyes but didn’t make a sound and Tommy giggled at him, bringing a bite of his own to his mouth.

 

She raised her glass of wine to her lips and took a sip. It was dry and rich and she had to fight back her own appreciative noises.

 

“This is delicious, what is it?,” she asked him, cutting a bite of chicken for herself.

 

“It’s a chablis that Sansa introduced me to,” he told her and she smiled to herself.

 

 _I was right_ , she thought, _I knew this recipe would pair nicely with fine chablis._

 

“Alright, everyone has to say one great thing they saw today,” Robb said and the way he said it sounded like he was reciting something he’d heard many times.

 

“Me first!,” Tommy said excitedly, taking a big sip of milk in preparation. She felt Robb’s hand on her, he didn’t let it linger lasciviously, he merely squeezed her knee and removed it, bringing it up to take a sip of wine. “Miss Wylla brought in a _bunny_ today.”

 

“No. Way,” she said.

 

“Yes way,” he promised nodding, “It was white with black spots and his nose did this,” he said scrunching his nose up and down, his whole face moving with it.

 

She had propped her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her palm, and she turned to Robb with a grin and saw him already turning to give her one of his own, as though he too couldn’t believe how cute he was.

 

“Did you pet him?,” Robb asked.

 

“Yeah!,” Tommy said excitedly, “He was so soft, and everyone wanted to hold him, but he only wanted to sit in Kitty’s lap. She let me sit next to her and pet him though.”

 

“That Kitty is such a good friend, isn’t she?,” Ella asked him seriously. She thought it was important for him to understand when someone was doing something nice for him.

 

“She’s the best friend ever,” Tommy said seriously, “And Hopper, the bunny that’s his name, thought so too because he hopped away from everyone else and kept coming back to her and looking up at her like -,” and then he did the face scrunchy thing again.

 

“Well you and Hopper have _very_ good taste,” Robb said and turned to her, “Alright Ella, you’re up.”

 

“Hmm…,” she said. _Well there was the sight of you dancing around with my son, or holding out a bouquet of peonies like an offering to the gods._ “Well… when I was getting lunch today I saw a cow.”

 

“A COW?!!,” Tommy exclaimed, telling her she’d chosen the right thing.

 

“Yep, a big giant cow,” she nodded, “He was crossing the street.”

 

“Where?,” Robb asked her in shock, clearly trying to see if she was making it up or not.

 

“South 4th and Main,” she said honestly, “You didn’t hear about it? It stopped traffic for an hour.”

 

“He probably didn’t mean to,” Tommy suggested thoughtfully, as though it was very important that no one at the table demonised the cow’s actions.

 

Robb covered his mouth, hiding a wide smile.

 

“I think you’re right, baby,” she agreed. Once Robb had time to recover, she said, “And how about you Robb? What’s your something great?”

 

He turned to look at her, and there was so much love shining in his eyes that it bowled her over.

 

“I think probably the live concert I saw in my kitchen,” he said and she blushed.

 

She hadn’t really been embarrassed when he walked in, just surprised, but she liked being his something great. Tommy beamed at her and she noticed that he’d stopped eating.

 

“What’s up buddy?,” Robb asked, before she could say anything, “Don’t you want ice cream?”

 

“Oh yeah!,” Tommy exclaimed as though he’d forgotten and took a bite of chicken. Scooping up some potatoes and eating them next.

 

She and Robb tucked into their own dinners, and it wasn’t until they all had bowls of ice cream in front of them that Tommy finally asked, “Where do you think he was going?”

 

“Probably to the moovies,” Robb suggested, earning a cackle from Tommy.

 

She smiled, but not at the joke. At the fact that he hadn’t had to clarify, that he just knew what Tommy was asking. _I love him, sweetheart, I love him so much I can’t put it into words, do you understand?_

 

They cleared the table, and she sent Tommy to put on his pajamas and pick out his book for the night (they were practicing him doing things like that on his own), while she and Robb did the dishes.

 

“I have to talk to you about something,” she said as she rinsed dishes and he dried off the pots and pans.

 

“Is everything alright?,” he asked her.

 

“It, well it sounds like my apartment is ready…,” she said.

 

“Ready for what?,” he asked.

 

“For us to move back in,” she said as casually as she could.

 

He went rigid, putting one of the pots away. She could see the tension in his back as he picked up another one to dry.

 

“I don’t want you to do that,” he told her.

 

“I know, neither does Jon, but I haven’t seen anything on the market that is in a better area that I can afford that doesn’t need a ton of work,” she said, shaking her head.

 

Ideally she’d loved to buy a place that she could renovate. She’d always had an interest in interior design, and liked the idea of making her home exactly the way she wanted it, but she could neither afford it, nor did she have the time to dedicate to it.

 

“That’s not what I mean,” he said, and he wouldn’t look at her. She dried her hands and turned his face to hers. He sighed and pressed his forehead against hers, “I don’t want you to leave at all. Certainly not to that apartment - I know how lovely you’ve made it but I can’t stand to think of you guys in that neighbourhood, do you know there’ve been a string of break-ins around there?”

 

“Have you been speaking to the police?,” she accused.

 

“I made a few calls,” he muttered and she raised her eyebrows, “Fine, a few dozen okay? I’m not allowed to call back. It doesn’t matter. The point is that no, I don’t want you moving back to that neighbourhood, but I don’t think you should move anywhere.”

 

“Robb,” she said shaking her head, trying to process what he’d just told her. That he’d been harassing the police for her and that he wanted her to stay. “We just started…”

 

“Tell me this feels new,” he challenged her, “Tell me this feels like a first date. Tell me what just happened there didn’t feel more right than anything ever has, because if it didn’t then you’re right, and we’ll slow down. We’ll catch our breath and go on some dates, okay sweetheart? We’ll find you a place that is safe and clean and reasonable and I’ll move your boxes in myself. This isn’t an ultimatum, I’m not going to push… But Ella if it did… then don’t leave because you think it’s what you _should_ do.”

 

She opened her mouth to answer, but Tommy came in wearing the sweatpants and t shirt that she’d laid out for him, and he was holding a book in his hands.

 

“Can Robb read to me tonight?,” he asked them.

 

 _See?_ Robb’s eyes said and turned her around, turning off the faucet.

 

“Sure buddy, come on,” he said and she followed them to the couch.

 

Robb sat at the end and Tommy handed him the book. She sat down on the couch next to Robb, tucking her feet beneath her and pulling Tommy into her lap. Robb placed his arm on the back of the couch and opened the book.

 

_This is the house. The house on East 88th Street. Mr and Mrs Primm live…_

 

Robb started and Tommy leaned towards him and the pictures, until he was laying across both of them, and it felt right, more right than anything ever had, just like he said. She leaned her body against his and the hand on the back of the couch wrapped around her immediately, holding her close.

 

With Tommy focusing on the book she took the opportunity to bury her face in Robb’s neck, breathing in his cologne and the smell that was uniquely him, masculine and intoxicating. She could feel the deep tenor of his voice and Tommy reached his little hand up and started playing with her hair.

 

When Robb finished, he closed the book softly, as though he didn’t want to break the spell.

 

“Thank you,” Tommy said to him, twisting in their laps and wrapping his little arms around Robb’s neck. Robb held him, pressing a kiss to his curls and stroking his back. When they pulled apart Tommy asked her, “Can Robb read to me tomorrow?”

 

“Of course baby, he can read to you whenever you guys want. We’re not going anywhere,” she said, making the decision in that moment, and it was almost comical how quickly Robb’s head snapped to look at her. “Say goodnight.”

 

“Night Robb,” Tommy said.

 

“Night Tommy,” Robb said, his voice thick with emotion.

 

She stood up and Tommy came happily into her arms. She cradled him like she had when he was a baby, swinging him back and forth dramatically and making him giggle. She tucked him in and kissed him and then Grey Wind, telling them both she loved them before she shut of the light and closed the door.

 

They’d never shut off the music and Sam Cooke was crooning _You Send Me_ softly over the speakers.

 

“Dance with me, roomie,” Robb said with a dopey grin.

 

“After,” she said, walking towards him.

 

“After what?,” he asked curiously.

 

She jumped into his arms, planting a kiss on his surprised lips.

 

***

 

He kissed her back hungrily. He’d been aching for her since he’d woken up that morning and now she was in his arms and she was staying and he was happier than he’d ever been.

 

He carried her to the bedroom and shut his door. She slid slowly down his body, making him groan and started unbuttoning his dress shirt, pressing kisses to his chest. He buried his face in her hair, breathing her in, and ran his fingers lightly up and down her arms, delighting in the goosebumps that formed. She pushed his shirt off of him and looked up at him, standing on her tip toes and kissing his lips.

 

“Turn around,” he said gruffly when they broke apart.

 

Her green eyes flashed and she turned around. He brushed her golden hair to the side, placing a kiss to the place behind her ear. He kissed lower, into the crook of her neck, and it was only when he felt her head falling back against him that he unzipped the back of her dress. He pulled the straps off of her, easing it down her body. She was wearing whitelacy underwear and a matching bra, and she looked beautiful and intoxicating standing there.

 

“Oh Ella,” he sighed, pulling her back against him. He knew she could feel his hardness and she leaned against him, her head falling back against his chest. “Do you see what you do to me?,” he wondered aloud. He wrapped one arm around her waist, anchoring her to him and trailed the other down her neck, he cupped one breast through her bra, letting his index finger circle her nipple until it peaked for him. He trailed further down her body, slipping into her underwear. He found her warm and wet already and he groaned into her ear, “So perfect sweetheart, so ready for me. Tell me, is this what you like?,” he asked finding her pearl and circling it with his index finger like he had her nipple. She let out a delicate sigh, “Is that where you like it?”

 

“Please,” she asked, clutching his arms, “I _need_ …”

 

“Tell me, sweetheart, you know I’ll do it,” he said in a low voice.

 

“Your fingers inside me,” she said softly and he turned her face so that he could kiss her lips, sucking on her bottom lip and he slipped his fingers down so that he could enter her. Her breath caught and he smiled against her lips, moving his fingers in and out of her, curling them just so. “ _Oooh_ ,” she said and her knees gave out and she tightened around him.

 

He picked her up and carried her to his bed, tossing her on it against the pillows and she looked up at him with a lazy, satisfied smile on her face. He undid his belt and her eyes flashed again as he slid it out of the loops. He unzipped his pants, stepping out of them and her eyes scanned down his body appreciatively. He took the opportunity to let his rake over her own. She was an absolute vision, beautiful and deliciously rumpled.

 

“Sweetheart, I want you to get on your hands and knees,” he told her, trying to keep the gruffness out of his voice, afraid he’d actually scare her if she knew how badly he needed her.

 

She did what he asked, close enough to where he stood that he could palm the back of her thigh, rubbing up it until he got to her lace clad behind. He squeezed it, bending and planting a kiss to her other cheek and then he swatted it.

 

“ _Oh_ ,” she said and he rubbed it, afraid he’d hurt her.

 

She pushed it against his hand and his eyes flicked to her face. There was a stunning blush on her cheeks that ran down her neck and to her chest.

 

“Did you like that Ella?,” he asked softly. She closed her eyes and nodded. He couldn’t tell if she really did or if she just wanted to please him so he moved and pressed a finger under her chin, making her look at him, “Sweetheart I need you to tell me. There’s _nothing_ to be ashamed of, okay? But I won’t do it if you don’t like it.”

 

“I like it, Robb…I…really like it…,” she said and bit her lip.

 

 _How did I find you?_ he wondered and moved back, spanking her again. Her whole body moved in reaction to it and he spanked her again, harder this time.

 

“Robb I’m going to…,” she started incredulously.

 

He’d never seen it happen from this but he knew exactly what she was going to do, so he spanked her again.

 

“Come on sweetheart,” he said in a low voice, _smack_. “Come for me,” _smack_ , “There’s a good girl, you’re so pretty when you come,” _smack, smack._

 

 _“Robb…_ ,” she cried and it was too much, she was too much.

 

He shoved his boxers down and got on the bed, pulling her underwear down. He didn’t even get it all the way off before he shoved inside of her, intent on feeling the last of her orgasm.

 

She pulsed around him as he took up a rhythm, his hands holding her hips steady.

 

“ _Ella_ ,” he groaned as she started pushing back against him, “That’s it, sweetheart, that’s my good girl, you drive me wild.”

 

“Robb I feel so full,” she whimpered, “You’ve ruined me, I feel empty without you now.”

 

He groaned, slowing his rhythm but thrusting into her deeper and deeper. She extended her arms, leaning down until her face and chest pressed into the bed, her butt up in the air higher, her back arched to what had to be an uncomfortable degree but she sighed in delight when he thrust into her.

 

“Damn it, Ella,” he growled, “Sweetheart I love you so much and damn it if I don’t want to ruin you. I never want you to crave another,” he confessed, rolling his hips into her and hitting her at a different angle, “I want you, every day, without you I’m _lost,_ ” he cried as he spilled into her, his orgasm shaking his body violently.

 

He collapsed on the bed next to her, and she turned her face towards him, putting the delicate curves of her body on display. He lay on his side, and let his hand trail the rickety path of her spine. He felt her eyes on him as his followed his hand to her butt, squeezing one cheek gently.

 

“Have you always liked it?,” he wondered aloud, referring to the spanking.

 

He wasn’t necessarily dying to learn about her previous sexual experiences, but he was curious. She was so sweet and delicate, though obviously fiercely strong, and feminine, it didn’t entirely make sense.

 

“There is no _always_ ,” she said, “I’ve never been with anyone…”

 

“Ella you have a son,” he teased and she pushed him lazily.

 

“I mean obviously I have…,” she said, shaking her head and closing her eyes, “But Harry and I only did it twice and we weren’t particularly adventurous…and…there hasn’t…”

 

“You got pregnant after your second time?,” he asked her.

 

He thought back to his second time, he was seventeen and it would have been with Roslin Frey. They had been dating for a few months, and he remembered he couldn’t wait to sleep with her, but they hadn’t been exactly adventurous. He then tried to imagine Roslin coming to him after that second time and telling him that she was pregnant. She would have been so scared.

 

She nodded, “Harry had broken up with me after that second time. He was after someone else, I can’t remember who now. Back then it seemed really important.”

 

He stroked her hair and she closed her eyes with a smile on her face. There was nothing in the world that he could say that would make that alright, but she didn’t look in the least bit upset as to how her life had turned out.

 

“And since then?,” he asked her, rolling closer and kissing her shoulder. He couldn’t help himself, he was curious.

 

“Since then I’ve been a single mom to a toddler,” she said, “My days have been filled with Thomas and sing-a-longs and my nights…this just isn’t that enticing of a package…”

 

_Foolish girl._

 

“I have to disagree with you there,” he told her, and she opened her eyes, “Don’t get me wrong, you, naked and gorgeous in my bed is something I’ve dreamed about since the first day we met…I lost hours imagining this body,” he said getting on his knees and straddling over her, kissing her back, “Thinking about what it would be like when you peaked for me…,” he said turning her over, “Wanting to know the hows and whys,” he said cupping a breast in his hand and squeezing gently, then he dragged his hand up to her neck, placing his thumb under her chin, “But I have _never_ been so enticed as when I see you with him. Ella…you and Tommy…you’re the package I’ve been waiting for.”

 

“Yeah but you’re weird,” she said, squealing when he tickled her. She pulled him down until he was all but pancaked on top of her, and she stroked his cheek, “And we’ve been waiting for you too.”

 

He pulled one of her legs around him, hitching it over his waist and then the other. He pressed himself to her entrance, rubbing against her, teasing her with his tip.

 

“Already?,” she asked with a delighted sigh, her eyes growing cloudy.

 

“It’s high time we see what else you like,” he said, kissing her as he pushed inside of her.

 

***

 

Two hours later she was splayed on top of him. She wasn’t sure how many things he’d found that she liked but she knew the fourth was her favorite and that she’d be asking him to try it again tomorrow.

 

She scratched his chest lightly with her fingers, looking up at him.

 

“Please don’t make me,” he pleaded. “You’re going to kill me.”

 

She giggled, kissing his cheek. He’d worked up quite a sweat and he was well within his rights for a bit of moaning.

 

“You don’t want me?,” she teased, her teeth on his jaw.

 

He growled at her and she giggled. He seemed content and drained but she was filled with a kind of manic energy, like she could run a marathon or at the very least go for a jog.

 

She got up off of him and he protested, but she picked up his dress shirt and pulled it on herself, buttoning one of the middle buttons. She padded over to his speakers and turned them on, making the song from the kitchen come flooding in through. _You Really Got a Hold On Me._

 

It was one of her favorites and she started swaying, her back still to him, and when she turned he was sitting up and watching her.

 

“I promised you a dance…,” she said with a small smile, moving her hips to the sultry music.

 

He got off the bed, not taking his eyes off of her. He pulled on his boxers and crossed to her. She held out her hands to him and he took hers, spinning her and pulling her to him.

 

They moved together easily, which didn’t come as such a surprise, but she liked the feel of him against her, liked wearing his shirt and being surrounded by his smell.

 

He spun her out dramatically and her hair fanned all around her like it had earlier in the kitchen and he had the same look of wonder on his face this time. When he spun her back, she kept her back to his chest, his arms crossed as he held her hands, swaying with her.

 

“You’ll really stay?,” he asked in her ear.

 

She didn’t bother to say _If it’s really what you want_ because she knew it was. She meant what she’d said last night. Going forward she’d believe him at his word, because he had never given her any reason not to.

 

“We’ll stay,” she nodded and leaned her cheek back against his chest.

 

He curled into her as well and rested his lips against her forehead.

 

“And you’ll tell him?,” he asked softly.

 

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, “Actually…I thought maybe we could tell him…together.”

 

“Together,” he agreed, his hand cupping her face as he kissed her forehead again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is for @darkwolf76 and @Maedhros who have been such great supporters on this one.

“This doesn’t seem entirely fair,” Ella said as she, Sansa and Kitty sat at the nail salon.

 

“I told you that you could pay next time,” Sansa said, examining the opal color her manicurist was painting on her, “Today is Kitty’s treat, isn’t that right, chicky?”

 

“Mmhm,” Kitty said with a big smile, “How do they look, Ella?”

 

She was holding up her little hand to show her her fresh manicure. She’d insisted that they get the same color and they’d chosen a light pink with a name Kitty had liked.

 

“They look divine, sweet pea,” Ella promised, “Will you come sit and entertain me while Shae does mine?”

 

The little girl nodded excitedly and Ella hoisted her into her lap. She curled in against herand Ella pressed a kiss to her little head, breathing in her rose shampoo. They’d hardly seen one another that week and Kitty had hurled herself into her arms at morning drop-off yesterday.

 

_“I missed you,” Kitty said, in that tone she always used with Robb when she thought he’d been away too long._

 

_“Oh sweet pea I missed you too,” she said, giving Jon a curious look. He merely looked on with a small smile, as he helped Tommy settle his things in his cubby. She hugged the little girl tight and stroked her back._

 

_“And Uncle Robb?,” she asked._

 

_“He never stops talking about you, I promise,” she said honestly._

 

Robb had called on Thursday night to see if he could drop by to see her, but Kitty had gone to bed early with a low grade fever. He’d been so upset to have missed her, and had held Tommy close as they watched Robin Hood.

 

_“Really?,” Kitty asked excitedly._

 

_“Really,” Ella promised, “You’re his heart, sweet pea, and a man like your Uncle Robb can’t last long without his heart.”_

 

They’d parted with promises of a weekend spent together, but as Jon had walked her to her car she’d asked him.

 

_“Ella you don’t have to apologize,” he said, “She just likes having her pack close, that’s all.”_

 

_“But I…should have realized…I’m sorry this week has just been…,” she started and stopped when she saw his sly grin._

 

_“Yes let’s talk about how this week has been,” he teased._

 

_“Jon,” she pleaded._

 

_“Oh you don’t have to say anything El,” he said, “That adorable blush of yours says it all. And really, don’t worry about Kitty. She just loves you, that’s all.”_

 

_“I love her too,” she promised, then smiled and shook her head, “And god I really did miss her.”_

 

_“She’s a sneaky little one,” he said with a nod, “One of the many things you two have in common.”_

 

_“So I’ll see you for dinner tomorrow night?,” she asked._

 

_“I’ll be the one icing my knee,” he said with a grin. He was only twenty seven and in impeccable shape, but the Stark siblings all liked to tease him for being an old man._

 

_“Jon you don’t…,” she started._

 

_“I’m teasing, Ella,” he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow,” and with a kiss to her cheek he walked towards his own car._

 

“That isn’t what I meant by the way,” Ella said, and Sansa looked over at her. Kitty was playing with her hair and Sansa grinned at them, “It doesn’t seem fair that I’m being _pampered_ while Robb and Jon are moving mine and Tommy’s stuff out of the apartment.”

 

Sansa rolled her eyes and said, “Oh please, the way they pushed you moving out of that apartment, they _deserve_ this. Not that I disagree with them,” she said, her hand on her growing stomach, “But I think it is _perfectly_ fair that they put their money where their mouths are.”

 

Kitty gave her an _oh-no-she-didn’t-look_ and Ella couldn’t help but give one right back. Sansa was the sweetest of the Stark children, with the exception of maybe Robb, which really said a lot because even Arya who had a sarcastic sense of humor had a heart of gold and would do anything for any of them. So it was always particularly fun when Sansa’s sassy side came out, and a girls morning seemed like the perfect occasion.

 

“Sansa, is there something you’d like to share with the group?,” Ella asked her, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

 

“Daddy’s in trouble,” Kitty told her when Sansa didn’t say anything.

 

“Kitty that’s a secret!,” Sansa said in shock.

 

“It’s _Ella_ , Mama,” Kitty said and then turned back to her, clearly unafraid of her adoring mother’s wrath, “He told her she couldn’t sing.”

 

 _What?_ Ella thought and gave Sansa an incredulous expression.

 

“Thank you, Kitty,” Sansa said with a small huff, “It’s Arya’s wedding,” she said, “Gendry asked me to sing and when I mentioned it to Jon he said that it would be so close to my due date that I’d be lucky if I could attend, let alone perform.”

 

She thought about the save the date on Robb’s fridge. Arya and Gendry had forgone a long engagement and chosen instead to have a small wedding of under fifty guests at Winterfell come springtime. Doing the math in her head, she had to admit that Jon wasn’t entirely wrong.

 

“Well…,” Ella started.

 

“Don’t you start, too,” Sansa pleaded. “I’m pregnant I’m not an _invalid_ , and this is my only sister’s wedding.”

 

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t go, I’m not even saying you shouldn’t sing,” she assured her, “I just don’t think Jon is _crazy_ for being concerned. I do however think he’s _crazy_ for trying to tell a pregnant woman what to do, so I think he should make himself cozy in that dog house of his.”

 

Kitty high-fived her and shouted _Girl power_ making the other patrons laugh.

 

“Thanks,” Sansa said and Ella looked at her curiously, “I know it’s all because he loves me but, god sometimes he is just _so_ overprotective. I hate that he thinks I’m made of glass.”

 

“He doesn’t,” Ella said immediately, thinking of hers and Jon’s conversation from earlier that week. “I think it’s just…self-preservation. He’s completely lost without you.”

 

Sansa smiled at her gratefully, reaching out with one of her hands to pat hers. Then her smile turned rueful.

 

“I’ll remind you that you said that, when you-know-who is driving you crazy,” Sansa said.

 

 _Without you I’m lost_ , she remembered, not being able to stop the lovesick smile that came to her face.

 

“I bet Daddy will let Uncle Robb share his doghouse,” Kitty said and they both stared at her in surprise.

 

“Kitty! How do you know who we are talking about?,” Sansa asked her in shock.

 

“It’s so _obvious_ ,” Kitty said with a roll of her eyes, making them laugh in horror.

 

***

 

“Is that the last of it?,” Theon grumbled.

 

“Yes, thanks for carrying that one box, we couldn’t have done it without you,” Jon said with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Yeah, mate, you’re the real hero, don’t let anyone tell you different,” Gendry said, wiping his face with his shirt.

 

He’d been glad he and Jon had decided to call Gendry. It seemed impossible that Ella had so much stuff after being robbed, but when they’d started going through his stuff, they’d realised he didn’t have nearly as many kitchen tools as she did, and then there was all of Tommy’s books and toys, and the furniture from his room, since they had moved the guest room furniture to Winterfell.

 

Robb passed out bottles of water, taking off his own shirt and wiping his face.

 

“How did Tommy take it, by the way?,” Gendry asked.

 

_“Baby,” Ella said as they hovered in the doorway, “Robb and I want to talk to you about our apartment.”_

 

_“No!,” Tommy exclaimed. Ella flinched like she’d been slapped, and Robb had to admit he felt the same. He rubbed her back, hoping she wouldn’t lose her nerve. And then Tommy said, “I’m not going. You can’t make me.”_

 

_Ella looked up at him, a shocked expression on her face, clearly at a loss. He took her hand and pulled her towards the bed. He sat next to Tommy and pulled her down with him until she was seated on his lap._

 

_“You’re right,” Robb said, his reaction giving him the confidence to phrase it like this. “You’re not going anywhere, alright? You and your Mommy are going to stay right here where you belong.”_

 

_“I get to stay with both of you?,” Tommy asked, a wide smile on his face._

 

_“Yeah baby,” Ella said, picking him up so he rested between them. Robb wrapped his arms around them both and her eyes shone with so much love when she said, “We all get to stay together.”_

 

They’d told him they loved each other, and he wasn’t entirely sure if he understood, but he’d only made kissy noises at them when they’d kissed at breakfast that morning, until both of them attacked his cheeks with kisses making him giggle.

 

“It was uh…,” Robb said, shaking his head, tears unwelcome in his eyes.

 

“Good,” Gendry said with a grin.

 

They didn’t unpack anything, he and Ella were going to spend part of the day doing it tomorrow. He knew they’d end up chucking a bunch of stuff of both of theirs, but the room they really wanted to get set up was Tommy’s.

 

Ella, Sansa and Kitty walked in laughing, with cups from Drip in their hands.

 

“Well, well if it isn’t my heroes looking appropriately _manly_ ,” Ella cooed at them, and Robb didn’t fail to notice that Jon and Gendry blushed. “Thank you,” she said kissing Gendry’s cheek, “And you,” she said kissing Jon’s.

 

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?,” Robb asked her pitifully.

 

“Hmm…,” Ella said, tapping her finger against her lips, “That’s right,” she said and then turned to Theon, “I’m Ella.”

 

Theon grinned, “So the rumors are true. You know I don’t even know your last name, beautiful, but I might just be in love all the same…”

 

“What about your mystery girl?,” Gendry asked.

 

“Oh you mean the love of my life, the future mother of my children, the daydream of all daydreams? You’re right, sorry honey, it could never work between us,” Theon said with a grin making Ella giggle.

 

“Not exactly who I meant anyway,” Robb added.

 

He couldn’t stand it anymore, he crossed to her, turning her around in his arms.

 

“Oh there he is,” she said with a small smile, resting her forearms on his shoulders as though she didn’t mind that he was sweaty at all, “There’s that man I’ve been dreaming of.”

 

“Hi sweetheart,” he said with a foolish grin. He knew they were all staring at them and he didn’t much mind. He’d put up with Jon and Sansa and Arya and Gendry for long enough. He kissed her briefly, too briefly, and then released her, not wanting to make a total spectacle of them.

 

He did however want to make a total spectacle of someone else though, and began stalking forward, sniffing the air.

 

“Does anyone…does anyone smell that?,” he asked and Kitty wiggled out of Jon’s arms, knowing the way the game was played. “I could swear that I smell…a little wolf cub…”

 

“Noooooo!!!,” Kitty squealed, taking off into a run.

 

“Oh now I’m sure of it,” he said, stalking forward. He could have caught her in two strides but he prolonged it, and finally picked her up, cradling her like a little baby and attacking her face with kisses.

 

“Uncle _Robbbb_ ,” she protested, but she took his face between her little palms and held him close.

 

“Oh my heart has come back to me,” he said gratefully.

 

He and Ella had talked about Kitty’s reaction to seeing her last night. Ella was adamant that she didn’t want Kitty to feel like she was losing him, and so was he. He knew there would be an adjustment, a growing period, but he also knew that loving Ella and Tommy did nothing to diminish his love for her. She was still his heart, his bright beating heart, the little girl he’d go to war for. He’d tear cities to the ground for her and nothing changed that, and he just had to make sure she knew it.

 

“It’s Baratheon, by the way,” Ella said to Theon.

 

“What?,” Theon asked with a dumbfounded expression.

 

Ella gave him a bemused look and said, “My last name.”

 

“El? Robb? You guys home?,” he heard Shireen call.

 

They all stared to look at her, with Tommy in tow, which was fair enough considering the fact that she had bunny whiskers painted on her face.

 

But she was only looking at one person: Theon.

 

***

 

“Grey Wind look, I’m a wolf like you,” Tommy said, going over to greet his friend. Grey Wind thumped his tail happily, as though Tommy always had been and always would be a wolf in his eyes, and groaned in appreciation when Tommy flopped on him.

 

Kitty ran over as well, and the two children greeted each other as they rubbed their faces in a delighted Grey Wind’s fur.

 

“Gendry, I can’t remember,” she said, “Have you met my cousin Shireen?”

 

Gendry stepped forward, noticing like she did the awkward tension in the air.

 

“Uh no, it’s nice to meet you Shireen,” he said and went over to shake her hand.

 

Looking at the pair of them made her a little dizzy. It was like looking at Sansa and Robb or Arya and Bran. Their features were so similar, Shireen’s the feminine foil to Gendry’s masculine ones. They had the same blue eyes though. She’d thought it the first time she’d seen Gendry. _Baratheon eyes._

 

She wondered if Shireen noticed, but it was a little hard to tell because she was looking down at her shoes. That was unlike her. She was a firecracker, and had met Jon, Sansa and Robb loads of times.

 

“And um…this is Theon,” she said, gesturing to Robb’s friend that she had just met moments before.

 

Theon moved around the table to come introduce himself.

 

“Hands to yourself, Greyjoy,” Robb warned.

 

“Oh she’s got nothing to worry about,” Sansa teased, “He’s got the future mother of his children to think of.”

 

“Or was it the love of his life?,” Gendry added.

 

Theon looked around as though he very much wanted all of them to shut up. He got his wish when Shireen slapped him clean across the face. He probably hadn’t wanted it _that_ badly.

 

“Tommy, why don’t you show Kitty your new bedroom?,” she called nervously.

 

The kids hopped up and disappeared giggling into the next room, a perfect juxtaposition to the tension in the kitchen.

 

“You’re _seeing_ someone?,” Shireen bellowed at Theon. _Yep, she got that temper from the Baratheon’s too._

 

“No!,” Theon said, his face a mask of horror. “They were just teasing…”

 

“I am such an idiot. She,” Shireen pointed accusingly at her, “Warned me to be careful. She told me I was being foolish, god I should have realised.”

 

She turned to leave and Theon smacked his hand on the counter, “Stop.”

 

Shireen stopped dead in her tracks. It was like her bridle had been snapped, like a switch had been flipped.

 

 _What the fuck?_ Sansa mouthed at her. Ella shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t sure what was happening but she couldn’t seem to look away.

 

“Come here,” Theon ordered and Shireen walked towards him. There were tears in her eyes and Ella wanted to throw her body in front of hers and shield her from whatever was going on. When she stood in front of him he said calmly, “I’m not seeing anyone.”

 

“Then what are-,” Shireen started but Theon cut it off.

 

“Damn it will you just shut up for two seconds so that I can tell you I’m in love with you?,” Theon growled at her.

 

“Yes sir,” Shireen said with a flirtatious smile.

 

_Oh._

 

*

 

They’d all made their way back to Winterfell after that. Robb had showered and they’d driven over with Tommy. Shireen and Theon had already been invited individually, so it was little matter when they drove over together, and Arya was already there with Bran and Rickon, the former of whom was home on winter break.

 

“So um…am I supposed to be able to look Theon in the eye?,” she asked Shireen as they sat on the counter with glasses of wine.

 

Sansa and Arya were there too, Sansa sipping her lemon tea while Arya drank an old fashioned Jon had made for her.

 

“Why wouldn’t you?,” Shireen asked and she gave her a look. Shireen scoffed, “Oh, like you and Robb don’t _fuck_?”

 

“Dude that’s our _brother_ ,” Arya said in disgust, “And knowing the way he looks at her they probably _make love_.”

 

“Oh my god,” Ella said and covered her eyes, earning cackles from all of them. “I am not having this conversation.”

 

“Oh but _givin’ yourself to me can never be wrooong if the love is true_ ,” Sansa sang at her. It was no wonder that Gendry had asked her to sing at the wedding, her voice was beautiful, sweet and soulful in equal measure.

 

“Sang it girl,” Shireen wooped, hopping off the counter and bopping her hip against Arya’s, who was scrolling through her phone. _Let’s Get it On_ , came on through the kitchen speakers.

 

“Come on Ellabell,” Sansa cooed and Ella couldn’t resist her, getting off the counter and taking the spatula Arya handed to her.

 

“ _There’s nothing wrong with meeee lovin youuu,”_ she sang to hoots and hollers.

 

***

 

“Do you guys hear that?,” Jojen, Bran’s boyfriend asked.

 

They were all in the den, with a game on that no one was watching. Jon had been tearing Theon apart for not telling them about Shireen, even though in Theon’s defense there was no way he could have actually known that they all knew her.

 

“Is that Marvin Gay?,” Gendry asked in confusion.

 

He and Theon were the first to hop up but the others followed quickly, walking through the house.

 

“Jesus Christ,” Theon muttered.

 

The girls were all singing and dancing to _Let’s Get it On_ , and Shireen was currently hugging Ella from behind, swaying with her suggestively. Ella’s cheeks were flushed, and he saw their abandoned wine glasses on the counter. The whole thing should have been odd, four girls, all of whom were related in some way dancing to this song. But they were all so happy and silly that it was kind of impossible not to delight in it.

 

“ _Jojen_ ,” Arya cooed, very unlike her, making him blush, “Come dance with me.”

 

“He’s my boyfriend,” Bran complained.

 

“You can dance with Gendry,” Arya offered, and despite Gendry’s protestations he allowed Bran to lead him to the center of the kitchen.

 

Theon went up behind Shireen, throwing his arms around her neck and kissing her cheek. She released Ella as she turned in his arms, and Ella turned and saw him watching her. She made a come hither motion with her finger and his feet brought him forward on their own accord.

 

“Is this going to become a pattern then,” he asked her, pulling her with one hand towards him, very much thinking about the last time they’d danced. She’d been barefoot like now, but her hair had been delightfully tousled, and she’d been wearing only his shirt, most of which was deliciously unbuttoned. “Me coming into kitchens and finding you dancing to Motown?”

 

“I’m afraid so,” she said, one hand wrapped behind his neck, “Are you full of regret?”

 

He liked that she could tease about it, when so recently she had been afraid that he’d lose interest. Even still, he wanted to make sure he never did anything to make her doubt him.

 

“Only that I waited so long,” he said and dipped her, eliciting her girlish giggle.

 

The song switched to _Come See About Me,_ and Sansa came and stole Ella as they started dancing like they were on Bandstand. Ella grinned at him as she threw her hands up in the air like a girl from the 60s. Her oversized sweater moved with her, and it was hypnotising imagining exactly what that body of hers was doing underneath it.

 

 _“Keeps me cryin’ baby for you,”_ Sansa sang to her.

 

“ _Keeps me sighin’ baby for you,”_ Ella harmonized perfectly.

 

He knew she could sing, had heard it the other day in the kitchen, and last night when she’d sang Tommy a lullaby. Even still, it stirred something deep in his chest to hear it. To see her singing and dancing with his sister in his ancestral home, her relationship with his family entirely her own, completely independent of him.

 

“I think our wedding needs to be a double act,” Arya said with a grin, hopping up on the counter next to him.

 

The two girls didn’t seem to realise that everyone had stopped dancing and started watching. They just sang together, all about heartbreak, when it was clear as day that they were wildly in love, with each other and with everyone in the room.

 

“ _Come see about me,”_ Sansa crooned.

 

“ _Come see about your baby,”_ Ella cooed back.

 

They moved towards one another and then danced away still singing.

 

“Woooowooo,” Theon called.

 

They turned and blushed but it was Sansa who kept Ella going, and they finished out the song to massive applause. They curtsied, and one could almost imagine they’d been raised as ladies of a great court for how elegant they were.

 

The song changed to _Run Around Sue_ and everyone whooped, Arya hopping off the counter. He wondered briefly if this was what it was like when these songs had first come out, kids dancing in their parents’ basements and in parking lots just for the joy of it.

 

“Is this what it’s like here every night?,” Jojen asked him.

 

They’d gotten to know each other a bit the last couple times Robb had gone down to see Bran, but this was his first time back with the whole family. He figured it was probably more than a little overwhelming.

 

“Pretty much,” he said sympathetically.

 

“You Starks are a dangerous lot,” Jojen replied, and Robb looked around at Sansa and Arya who had started twisting with Gendry and Jon, and then Bran who was shimmyingwith Shireen, much to Theon’s displeasure, and Rickon who was smiling down at Ella who was teaching him to do the Watusi, “Making us lost souls feel like there might just be a place for us after all.”

 

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Robb told him, “It’s you lot that are dangerous,” Jojen looked at him curiously so he went on, explaining, “We’re a pack, we thought we were supposed to need only each other to survive. But then you all come along,” he said, and Ella turned at that moment, a wide smile on her beautiful face, “And make us realise how foolish were were for believing it.”

 

***

 

Once dinner had been eaten and cleaned up, everyone moved to the den. It was the only place other than the dining room that had space for all of them, and so the Stark siblings and their significant others were seated on couches and chairs and the floor, the children and their wolves piled all around.

 

“So do you think this will be an issue?,” she asked Theon.

 

He was sitting on the couch, and she and Shireen we sitting in one of the overstuffed armchairs.

 

“Not in the slightest,” he said cockily, looking down at the lease in her hands. “Usually landlords take advantage of the fact that their tenants aren’t going to fight them on it, so they get a bit lazy with their leases. In cases like this, a strongly worded letter is usually about all that’s needed.”

 

“And if that doesn’t suffice?,” she asked him and he gave her a smile that was less cocky.

 

“Then they’ll wish it had,” he said, his dark eyes crinkling kindly, “They won’t want this to go to trial, guys like this Baelish always have secrets they don’t want known. Just leave it with me, alright?”

 

“Thank you,” she said, breathing out a sigh of relief.

 

Though she’d trusted Jon and Robb, she’d looked Theon up for herself and realised they weren’t exaggerating. He was the best prosecutor in the country, and had won all but one case since becoming a lawyer. He usually worked on much larger, more high profile and important cases, obviously, so she believed him when he said this would be a breeze.

 

It was part of how he and Shireen had met apparently, they’d all heard the G rated version of the story at dinner. She’d been leaving her Italian Baroque art history course and he’d been on his way to give a guest lecture. He’d bumped into her, asking for directions, and had never ended up making it to the lecture.

 

_“But dude, you went to the school there, how were you lost?,” Rickon had asked._

 

_“Dude, look at her,” Theon had said, making Shireen blush, “What would you have done?”_

 

Rickon had looked dreamily at Shireen, saying _Anything_ , and she’d laughed and said, _Call me in a few years, handsome._

 

“Is there anything I can do to pay you back?,” she asked. He’d sat down and refused a fee before he’d even looked at the lease.

 

“Yeah,” he said and she perked up, “You can remind this one I love her and send her home to me when I piss her off.”

 

She smiled at Shireen who shook her head at him and then turned back to him, squinting her eyes, “And do you plan on pissing her off, Greyjoy?”

 

“I wouldn’t say it’s a plan, honey,” he said with a grin, “Just an inevitability.”

 

Her and Shireen giggled and Robb looked over at her, giving her one of his dazzling grins that sucked the wind out of her.

 

“Can I come sit with you?,” Tommy asked him, placing his little hands on Robb’s knees.

 

“Always, buddy,” Robb said and pulled Tommy into his lap.

 

Sansa turned and gave her a teary smile, placing her hand over her heart and looking up. Ella smiled at her and then at Robb as he started tickling Tommy.

 

“Daddy stop, stop!,” Tommy squealed in delight, clearly wanting anything but, and it was like a glass had shattered for how quickly all the conversations in the room stopped.

 

Robb looked at her, an impossible mixture of emotions on his face. There was shock and happiness and shyness and pride. More than everything there was love, so much love.

 

Kitty saved the day, as usual, and got off Jon’s lap and running over to them, “Don’t worry Tommy I’ll save you!”

 

She climbed up on Robb and started tickling him in return, until both children were attacking him in equal measure and he looked like if he died right then and there it would have been a life well lived.

 

“I told you he was more of a Daddy,” Shireen whispered in her ear.


	11. Chapter 11

“It’s going to be a bad one,” Robb said with a grin as he and Grey Wind entered the apartment. They were both covered in snow and she ran to grab a towel for Grey Wind.

 

“Come here handsome,” she said to him and he walked over to her slowly. She wiped his face first and then his big body. “Front,” she said as he nuzzled his cheek against hers. He lifted his front left paw and she rid it of snow gently, “Other,” she said and he lifted the other. “Okay now the back, we can do this boy,” she said encouragingly. Grey Wind had a habit of face planting when anyone lifted up his back paws. The poor beast was embarrassed by it. They were working on it though. “Come on, handsome, lean on me,” she said and he did, picking up his back paw very tentatively, “So good! Now the other, we’re almost done.”

 

They finished without any dramatics and she wiped off the floor where he’d walked.

 

“Ella…,” Robb said from behind her. He’d gone to the coat closet to take off his coat and mittens and boots and had found her on her hands and knees facing away from him.

 

“I don’t want Tommy to slip,” she explained. Tommy was napping and since they’d unembargoed leaving bed on his own he had taken to running through the halls announcing his wakefulness.

 

“Of course,” he said, clearing his throat. “Can I um… show you something in the other room?”

 

“Is that something your penis?,” she asked, standing up and placing her hands on her hips.

 

“It might be…,” Robb admitted sheepishly.

 

“Cleaning up after your wolf,” she teased, chucking the towel in the laundry room. “That’s what does it for you now?”

 

“First of all,” he said, pulling her to him, “He’s _our_ wolf,” he said and got so close like he was going to kiss her, but then he skirted by her lips and whispered in her ear, “Second of all, you, Ella Baratheon, are what does it for me.”

 

“Good,” she said and placed her hands on his shoulders and hopped up so her legs were around his waist. He caught her to him, one strong arm cradling her butt the other pressing against her back. “Tommy will be up in an hour.”

 

“Then I better not waste any time,” he said with a grin, kissing her neck as he walked the familiar path to their bedroom.

 

*

 

Two hours later they, along with the rest of Wintertown’s population, ended up at the grocery store.

 

There was meant to be a big storm, and while even six inches could shut down King’s Landing, a big storm here meant _big_. End of days big. They’d already cancelled school on Monday and it was only Saturday.

 

They were stocking up to go to Winterfell. The house had a generator and Sansa had called shortly after Robb had made love to her for the second time saying _I’d really feel much better if we were all together._ Ella couldn’t really say no to that, and she knew that they were much better equipped to weather (and enjoy) the storm out there.

 

They had decided to treat it like a weekend long party, and Arya had already picked up Grey Wind on her way over with Gendry. Theon and Shireen were on their way too, they had planned on a weekend away but their flights had gotten cancelled.

 

Robb had tried to convince her to get a ride over with Arya and Gendry, but there were rumors that they’d be shutting down the highway and she didn’t want to get separated from him.

 

_“Sweetheart, don’t be scared,” he’d said to her as they packed their bags._

 

_“I’m not scared, I love the snow. I’m just not leaving without you,” she said, throwing her snow pants in her bag in case it calmed down enough for sledding the next day._

 

_“You’re being stubborn,” he told her with a sigh. His bag was much smaller because his old room still had a bunch of things._

 

_“If the roles were reversed, would you go without me?,” she asked him pointedly._

 

_“In retrospect you’re being entirely reasonable,” he said to her with a grin._

 

“Mommy can we get Froot Loops?,” Tommy asked excitedly from his seat in the shopping cart.

 

“No way,” Robb said, “But we can get _fruit_. Doesn’t that sound better?”

 

“No,” Tommy said honestly, and she turned away to grab a carton of almond milk so that he wouldn’t see her smile.

 

Robb gave her a look when she turned around, which meant he knew _exactly_ why she’d turned away. She pressed a kiss to his still cold cheek in silent apology.

 

“Okay, why don’t you guys go pick out what fruit you want, and I’ll go to the butcher, that’s the last stop. Will you guys want anything special in the next couple of days?”

 

“Bolognese,” they said in tandem.

 

She rolled her eyes and waved them off, heading towards the meat counter. She grabbed a number and checked her phone.

 

_Sansa: Hi love, do you mind picking up some oregano?_

 

_Sansa: Oops nevermind I found some._

 

_Sansa: I’ve just been informed by Arya that this is Rickon’s stash of weed. Do you mind?_

 

_Sansa: Rickon insists it’s medicinal. Promise me we will get very good and drunk once I give birth?_

 

Ella smiled and wrote back: _We’ll grab the oregano. Tell Rickon I feel a headache coming on._

 

Within a moment she’d received a text from the youngest Stark sibling. _Rickon: I never thought you could get any hotter in my eyes._

 

She rolled her eyes and grinned. She looked up at the meter and saw that she was still ten numbers away so she went to grab the oregano and headed back to wait her turn.

 

“So my number was just called, but why don’t you go ahead and take it, gorgeous, then you can give me yours, your phone number that is,” a smarmy voice said to her left.

 

 _Really? In the supermarket in the middle of a snowstorm?_ she thought. It wasn’t like she was exactly dressed to be hit on, in her bean boots and jeans, a gray turtleneck under her navy blue parka.

 

She went to look up at him, wishing she and Robb hadn’t split up, and looked right at Tommy’s dimpled smile and sandy brown hair, “Oh my god.”

 

“Myrcella Penelope Baratheon,” Harrold Phillip Hardyng III said with an incredulous grin, “As I live and breathe.”

 

***

 

“Can I push?,” Tommy asked him after they’d loaded up their cart with fruit and one tiny, inconsequential box of Froot Loops.

 

“Sure buddy,” he said and lifted him out of the cart and placed him on the ground.

 

He got behind him and started pushing Robb’s legs forward, and Robb pushed the cart through the aisles. Many a shopper stopped to look at the pair of them, and Tommy got closer to his legs, hiding behind him.

 

“Let’s go see if Mommy will get us some bacon,” Robb suggested, stroking his hand through Tommy’s curls reassuringly.

 

“Awesome! Jon makes the best bacon,” Tommy exclaimed bringing a grin to Robb’s face.

 

They walked up to the meat counter to see Ella speaking with a tall, good looking guy who looked to be around her age. He knew that he should be used to it by now. She got hit on everywhere she went, the park, the bank, his office party as his, the boss’, date. _But seriously, the grocery store in the middle of a snowstorm?_

 

Though he had to admit to himself that if he’d seen her for the first time in the grocery store he would have approached her too.

 

She hadn’t seen him yet and he went and put the shopping cart behind her.

 

"Hey sweetheart," Robb said to her, ignoring the man in front of her and putting a hand on her shoulder, “Have they called your number yet?”

 

"N-no," she said and gave him a worried look.

 

Considering his reaction the last time she’d been hit on, he couldn’t really blame her. But then again, that guy had bitten her ass, so Robb wasn’t really sure that it fell under the category of ‘hitting on’.

 

Either way, he didn’t want her to be nervous about talking to a guy. She was beautiful, so it was perfectly natural that she’d be approached everywhere she went, but she was also kind and interested in people, so the mailman was forever delayed when she was home, asking about his wife and answering his questions about King’s Landing where his daughter went to school. Robb had admittedly not known that fact about him until Ella moved in. She could speak to whoever she wanted, and he didn’t want her to be afraid that he’d fly of the handle over a conversation.

 

"Oh good," he said happily, “Because Tommy and I want to get bacon, right buddy?"

 

"Yeah Daddy," he said, though he too seemed unsure.

 

He had taken his usual stance in front of Ella. He'd first noticed it when he met them, it was subtle, one could almost be fooled into thinking he was looking to her for support, but after seeing it a few more times he'd realized that her son was standing in front of her to protect her. He only did it around adult males, but he who was so shy around kids his own age, never failed to place himself in between her and any potential foe.

 

The waver in his voice probably had to do with the tension rolling off of Ella, and she picked him up, holding him to her, his back to the man.

 

Whereas before the man had been focused on Ella, his sole attention was now on Tommy.

 

"Hey, I'm Robb Stark," he said, holding out his hand, trying to divert the attention away from Tommy and Ella. He too now felt tense, though he couldn’t understand why, and he placed his hand protectively on Tommy’s back.

 

"Robb this is us," Ella asked with panic in her voice when they called 112. Robb grimaced at the man and moved her and Tommy forward.

 

Ella couldn’t seem to speak so he said to the clerk, “Hi can we have 5 lbs of ground turkey -“

 

“Lean please,” Ella piped up.

 

“And 2 lbs of bacon _lean_ ,” he said and grinned at her, “And two flank steaks.”

 

“Woah, you guys having a party?,” the guy asked.

 

“Just preparing for the storm,” Ella said primly.

 

He took Tommy from her, and it was the first time he’d ever felt her hesitate. Tommy didn’t though and rested his head on his shoulder, reaching for Ella’s hair at the same time as Robb reached to rub her back.

 

The butcher loaded them up and Ella grabbed the cart. If she could have turned it on two wheels he suspected she probably would have, and he followed her.

 

“Hey kid,” the guy called and though he was talking to Tommy, Robb turned around. “You dropped your train.”

 

Robb walked back to grab it from him, and he turned to Tommy. Though he didn’t want to stand in front of this man a minute longer if he’d made Ella so uncomfortable, Ella was adamant that they had to remind him his manners.

 

“What do you say buddy?,” he asked Tommy.

 

Tommy dutifully picked his head up off his shoulder and took the train, “Thank you,” he mumbled.

 

“You’ve got your mother’s eyes,” the man said, a half smile revealing a dimple in his right cheek as he ran his hand through his sandy brown hair.

 

_Holy shit._

 

***

 

She was silent on the way to Winterfell. She knew Robb knew. There had been a change in his demeanor when he met her at the cash register, and he’d loaded the truck in grim silence as she had buckled Tommy in and turned on the heat.

 

The snow had gotten worse while they were in the store, enough that she wondered if they really should be on the road at all. When she’d voiced that Robb’s expression had softened.

 

_“Would I be on the road with you two if I didn’t think you’d be safe?,” he asked._

 

_“No,” Tommy answered._

 

And that had been that.

 

“Mommy can we listen to music?,” Tommy asked.

 

She turned around and put on her best brave face for him and said, “I want Daddy to concentrate okay, and he can’t do that if you and me are singing along right? Because we have such _mahveloos_ voices, don’t we? But I bet Kitty and Auntie Shireen will have a dance party with you when we get there.”

 

“I bet too,” he said sweetly.

 

That was the way he did everything. Sweetly and hardly with any complaint. The only time he put up a fuss was when he wanted to spend more time with her or Robb or their families. He was good and kind and he was _her_ brave little boy.

 

She turned back around so he wouldn’t see the tears that fell from her eyes. Robb gripped the steering wheel and she coughed to cover her sniffle, reaching in the glove compartment and grabbing a tissue, trying to stop the tears from falling before they could.

 

“Don’t be scared, Mommy,” Tommy said, from the back, “Daddy’s gonna keep us safe.”

 

“I know, baby,” she said, nodding. She wished she had a pillow she could scream into, but she didn’t. She had Robb though, who wouldn’t even spare a look at her he was focusing so hard on the road. The tension in his back told her that he was dying to though, so she unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to the center seat, buckling immediately. She didn’t grab Robb like she wanted to, she just leaned against him as he pressed against her, “I know he will.”

 

*

 

The thirty minute drive took nearly an hour, and by the time they arrived her tears had dried and she had to hurry out of the car to unbuckle Tommy who was wiggling in his seat to go to the bathroom.

 

Jon opened the door, and Tommy ran in shouting _SANSA IT’S AN EMERGENPEE_ and they all heard her shout back _CLEAR THE STREETS CLEAR THE SIDEWALKS._

 

Gendry, Jon and Rickon came out of the house in snowboots but no coats to come help them bring everything in. She went to grab a couple of bags and Rickon came up behind her and said, “Not a chance, babydoll,” and grabbed them as well as a few others from her, “How’s that headache?”

 

“Blinding,” she answered truthfully. She always had a headache after she cried.

 

He looked at her face and his cocky, carefree smile vanished, “Can you grab that one?,” he asked, pointing to a small bag. She nodded and he threw over his shoulder, “We’ll bring this stuff to the fridge in the basement.”

 

She followed him around to the side of the house. Their basement was above ground in the back and she reached in her bag and grabbed her key to let them in. It was largely unfinished but clean and light and she followed Rickon through.

 

He put his groceries in and took the bag from her, closing the door.

 

“What’s going on?,” he asked her.

 

“It was just a stressful ride,” she said.

 

“Babydoll, don’t fuck with a fucker,” he said, “You’re fearless and you know good and well my brother wouldn’t be on the road with you if he was the least bit afraid of not getting you and Tommy here. What’s going on?”

 

“I love you, but…,” she started.

 

“If you say _but you’re seventeen_ I will rip off that beautiful head of yours,” he told her, looking down at her.

 

“Tommy’s father is in Wintertown,” she said.

 

“Did he come looking for you?,” Rickon growled.

 

“No…I mean… I don’t think so…at least not today. He’s I guess he’s moved up here? I ran into him today. With Robb,” she said and he looked at her to continue. Her lower lip trembled, “And Tommy.”

 

Rickon chuckled. She looked up at him and he said simply, “He’s a dead man.”

 

“Rick…,” she started.

 

“He better just be here for a job, Ella, that’s all I’m saying. He’s in wolf country now, and he might not be so glad he came.”

 

“I need you to keep this to yourself until I can talk to Robb, okay?,” she asked. “I don’t want to sound the alarm just yet. He’s never shown an interest in me or in Tommy, why would he suddenly move across the country for us now?”

 

“Because knowing you guys is worth that,” Rickon said.

 

 _Damn the Stark boys_ , she thought as she annoyingly started to cry again.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, babydoll,” he said and hugged her, “If we go up there and you’ve got red eyes my brother will have my hide.”

 

“I’ll protect you,” she promised, hugging him back.

 

“And we’ll protect _him_ ,” he vowed. “If Harry _fucking_ Hardyng thinks he’s getting his hands on my nephew, there isn’t a place he can run to where he’ll be safe.”

 

It was the first time any of the Starks had referred to Tommy as such. She knew they all loved him, that he’d been accepted into the family with open arms, but she’d never heard it. 

 

“Do you mean that?,” she asked, “Not about the threatening Harry’s life thing. I _know_ you mean that,” she amended, “About Tommy being your nephew? I know that it isn’t the same as with Kitty but…”

 

“It’s exactly the same. Robb raised me. I remember our parents, glimpses of them, but it’s like this…mental block or something. Everything I’ve learned about being a man I learned from him, and Jon of course but… he’s my brother and my father and my hero (though if you tell him that I’ll have _your_ hide) and Tommy is his son. I don’t care what a goddamn DNA test says. Tommy is _his_ which means he’s mine too. And I know I joke around with you about running away together, but I love you babydoll. You make me believe if I can be half the man Robb is, that I might get a girl half as great as you and I’d count myself pretty damn lucky if I did. So yes, Tommy is my nephew and you’re my sister and if Harry _fucking_ Hardyng thinks to come near either of you then he will regret it, I promise you that.”

 

“Not that it much matters, but his middle name is Phillip,” she said, because there were no words for a declaration such as that.

 

“Of course it fucking is.”

 

***

 

Robb found Ella in the library. They’d all eaten dinner and put Tommy and Kitty to bed, and when he’d turned around he couldn’t find her. He’d been looking for her ever since.

 

She was curled up in front of the fire in one of the big chairs, looking into the flames.

 

“Sweetheart?,” he asked her.

 

“There he is,” she said sweetly, “Will you come sit with me?”

 

“Of course I will,” he said. She made no move to move though. “Should I sit on you?”

 

“Did I not stand up?,” she wondered.

 

“El…are you _high_?,” he asked sniffing the air. He could definitely smell weed.

 

“I think I might be,” she nodded, blinking a few times.

 

He picked her up and eased himself into the chair, settling her in his lap.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?,” he asked her, his cheek pressed against her warm one.

 

“Well Sansa thought Rickon’s weed was oregano, but it wasn’t it was weed. And then him and Gendry thought I needed to _relax_ so they brought me in here and we smoked but I’m not supposed to tell Robb,” she said and then looked at him, “Oh no I did. I broke the only rule.”

 

“You’re secret’s safe with me, sweetheart,” he assured her, he hugged her tighter when he said, “But I was talking about Harry.”

 

“Gendry and Rickon are going to murder him,” she explained, “So I think we don’t really have to worry about it because Theon will defend them. I think Gendry’s related to me so I can’t let him go to jail and Rickon called me his sister today so I can’t let him go to jail either so Theon will have to defend them. So anyway Tommy will be fine because Harry will be dead and then you and I can get married and have more babies.”

 

“That was so much information,” he said bewildered, shaking his head trying to process it at all. He could barely string two words together when he was high, but Ella’s quick mind seemed to be working faster than normal.

 

“So stern,” she said making a face at him and then giggled.

 

“So let me get this straight Ella,” he said as she started drawing hearts on his cheek. “Gendry is related to you?”

 

“I knew it!,” she exclaimed, as though the thought had been his own.

 

“El, how much did you smoke?,” he asked her curiously. He hadn’t seen someone this high since he and Jon had brought weed home from college their freshman winter break and let Sansa smoke with them.

 

“Just a puff, virgin lungs, _sweetheart_ ,” she said with a dopey grin.

 

“Okay let’s get you some water,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

 

When she made no move to get up, he picked her up. She was practically weightless and she leaned her head against his chest and it made him feel better, to know that she was here in his arms. He would have carried her across the country just to feel the way she placed her hand over his heart saying _I love this song._

 

“This is your doing?,” he asked Gendry as they walked passed the living room where him and Arya were watching a movie.

 

“Ella’s here? Since when?,” Gendry joked, “Hey El!”

 

“Hey bro!,” she called and then clamped a hand over her mouth. She cupped her hand and whispered, “Do you think he knows?”

 

“I think you’re good, but let’s get you that water,” he said and continued into the kitchen and put her on the counter.He filled a glass for her and stood in front of her while she drank it, the way he did with Tommy.

 

“I’m sorry I mentioned babies,” she said, once she’d finished the glass of water.

 

He had been trying not to focus on that part of her rant. He knew she was and worried about Tommy, her motherly instinct in overdrive, not to mention that she was high and seemed, like Bran, not to have a filter when she was. Even still he couldn’t stop his heart from beating wildly in his chest at the thought. The image of Ella, her belly large with his child, stirred something within him. He too had been feeling threatened all day and had hovered as close to Tommy as possible.

 

“I think that’s a discussion for when you’re a bit more present, sweetheart,” he said with a small smile, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

 

“Okay,” she nodded, “But I want a little boy who looks just like you.”

 

“El,” he pleaded. He was too raw, too frightened. He couldn’t have this conversation with her right now.

 

“Or maybe a baby girl?,” she asked and there were unshed tears in her eyes. “Someone for Tommy to dote on like you do with Sansa? I don’t care, boy or girl, blue or green eyes, blonde or russet or purple hair, I just want your babies.”

 

He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. He was afraid he’d mount her then and there. He was afraid he’d go into her bag and flush her birth control down the toilet.

 

“Do you want me to have you babies?,” she asked him, “I should have asked you first.”

 

“God yes, Ella,” he said, “I want a little girl with your smile. I want to chase her monsters away and stay up and wait for her when she goes on dates. I want a little boy, another perfect little boy, a brother for Tommy. I want anything this perfect body will give me, sweetheart.”


	12. Chapter 12

Ella checked her watch as she crossed the crosswalk. 12:58. She had two minutes to spare and slowed her pace, trying to steady her breathing.

 

Before she wanted to, she found herself in front of _Maggie’s_ the little bistro where she was having lunch. She opened the door and scanned the large room.

 

“Myrcella!,” Harry Phillip Hardyng III called.

 

She was annoyed already. She hated how much Tommy looked like him, but it was undeniable. Though Harry’s grin was often cocky rather than sweet, the same dimples formed, their hair color matched exactly and even their eyebrows were the same.

 

“Hi Harry,” she said, removing her large parka and draping it over her chair. She placed her bag down on the floor and sat in the chair opposite him.

 

He didn’t say anything for a moment, so she went to pick up her menu.

 

“Thanks for meeting me,” he said to her surprise. Harry never thanked anyone for anything.

 

“It seemed like it was important to you,” she managed.

 

_“I don’t like it,” Robb said, shaking his head for the millionth time that evening. “He’s manipulating you.”_

 

_“Aren’t you always the one telling me how strong I am?,” she asked, “Do you really think I’ll allow myself to be manipulated by him?”_

 

_“You already are! You’re meeting with him,” he pointed out angrily._

 

_“Robb,” she said as calmly as she could, “I need you to breathe.”_

 

_He looked at her stubbornly for a moment and she stood silently waiting. Finally he let out a long, heavy breath._

 

_She stepped forward and took his face in her hands, “I’m meeting with him. That’s all. One meal. If I don’t like what he has to say, that’s the end of it. I need you to have faith in me though.”_

 

_He let his forehead fall against hers, “I do, sweetheart, of course I do. I’m just scared. He’s his father.”_

 

_“Only biologically. You, my love, are his father in every way that it counts. You are the one who tucks him in and takes him to the park, who checks his closet for monsters. You are the one who is teaching him what it is to be a man. And I am his mother, and no one is getting their hands on our baby, okay? Certainly not Harry fucking Hardyng.”_

 

_“I love you, but I think you’ve been spending too much time with Rickon,” he sighed._

 

“Yeah… I wanted to reach out after, well seeing you…I’ve been thinking about you and Tommy a lot,” he said.

 

She was surprised that he’d remembered his name. She shouldn’t be, he was his _son_ after all, but still. She’d learned not to set her expectations too high when it came to Harry.

 

“And what have you been thinking, exactly?,” she asked. She wouldn’t give an inch, even when he was imploring her to with his golden eyes. Those eyes had made her do a stupid thing or to before, but they held no power over her now.

 

“That I should…I don’t know… _be there_ for you guys. You know… help,” he said, and it was clear that he didn’t even know what kind of help he could provide.

 

“I don’t need your help,” she said coldly.

 

“Damn it Myrcella, don’t be so proud, think about what’s best for _him_ ,” he argued and she saw red.

 

“That is _all_ I have been doing for the past four years. While you were out fucking anything in a skirt and being a normal college student I was worrying about teething and fevers and preschools, I was paying bills and saving up for his college, I was putting a roof over his head and reading bedtime stories and taking him to the park, and I’ve gotten pretty damn good at it. So do not show up here after four years and tell _me_ to think about what’s best for him. I don’t need to think about it - _I_ am what’s best for him.”

 

“And what about that guy?,” he asked petulantly, “This is about him isn’t it - I heard what Tommy called him.”

 

“You forfeited your right to that name years ago,” she said in a more measured tone, “And no, this isn’t about him at all.”

 

“You’re lying,” he said, surveying her, “I could always tell.”

 

“I’m surprised you remember,” she said before she could stop herself. She had to calm down or she’d say something she’d regret.

 

“I remember everything,” he said softly. She recognised that tone. That tone had helped created Tommy.

 

“Harry…,” she protested.

 

He took her hand, refusing to let it go even when she squirmed, “Myrcella I was an idiot… I was nineteen, I wasn’t ready for a _girlfriend_ let alone a child. I realised what an awful mistake I’d made a few months after you left school. I went to your mother’s house and she told me that you were gone, that you’d decided to give the baby up, that you were taking a semester abroad to weather out the storm and get your head straight. I didn’t realise that she lied to me until I saw a photo of Tommy on Shireen’s instagram a few months back. I guess she’d posted pictures of him before, because I lost a whole night looking at them. I couldn’t understand - it was impossible. I tried to forget about it, forget about him, but then I ran into Joffrey…” she wasn’t sure that she was processing anything he was saying but that name would jolt her out of anything, “He confirmed everything. I… went into my boss’ office the next day and told him to find me a project up here or I’d quit,” he put his other hand over hers and it was only then that she’d noticed hers had gone limp in his, “Myrcella I was an _ass_ to you and I’m sorry that you did this all on your own. But believe me when I tell you that _I didn’t know._ ”

 

She sat silently for a moment, trying to comprehend what he’d just said. She was opening her mouth to respond when a voice cut in.

 

“Oh my god Ella?,” the woman said, and when she looked up she saw the beautiful face of Jeyne Westerling.

 

“Jeyne,” she said, as pleasantly as she could in the moment which admittedly was not very, “Nice to see you.”

 

“ _And you_ ,” she said with a grin, “How is my darling ex?”

 

“He’s great, I’ll tell him you were asking about him,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster.

 

“Oh don’t _bother_ ,” she said with a wink, “You seem to have your hands full, and you never know, maybe I’ll be bumping into him soon as well! Ta, darling.”

 

“What the fuck was that?,” Harry asked and she bit the inside of her cheek. She wouldn’t laugh. She _refused_ to laugh.

 

“Harry,” she said, determined to get back on track.

 

“Myrcella,” he said, then crinkled his nose, “Should I be calling you Ella?”

 

“I don’t care,” she waved him away, ignoring his grin. “You tell me that you didn’t know, but if you spoke to Joffrey you must know that I have no way of corroborating that story. I haven’t seen my family since the day I told you I was pregnant.”

 

“You think I’m making this up?,” he asked her, and to her annoyance she found that she felt bad for upsetting him. “Myrcella… I didn’t know. I don’t know how I’m supposed to convince you of that but it’s the truth.”

 

“Fine, we’ll table that, okay?,” she asked with a sigh. “Since we established that Tommy and I are perfectly fine, what is it exactly that you want?”

 

“I want to meet him, properly,” he said. It wasn’t a surprise, why else would he have called? They’d prepared for this, but not for everything else. She had pictured throwing coffee in his face, but how could she do that when he was looking at her with so much pain in his eyes?

 

“I don’t know, Harry,” she said, shaking her head, “I need a few days to think about it. Tommy is a very… _advanced_ child -“

 

“No surprise there, with you being his mother,” he said.

 

“Flattery isn’t going to get you anywhere, Harry, not this time,” she said sternly.

 

“Worth a shot,” he said with his cocky grin, “Plus it’s not like it’s a lie.”

 

“As I was saying,” she said with a sigh, “He’s very advanced _emotionally_ , he develops strong connections with adults, and I won’t introduce anyone into his life that I don’t think has longevity.”

 

“My contract is for six months minimum, and I’ll either take on another one or find a job up here. I’m here for the long haul,” he told her, taking her hand once again.

 

“Give me a few days, Harry,” she said, removing her hand from his, “I promise I won’t make you wait forever for an answer, but I need some time. I need to -“

 

“Speak with your boyfriend?,” he asked her and then held up his hands, “I just didn’t notice a ring is all.”

 

“Not that it is any of your business but yes. Robb is Tommy’s father now. I’m not saying this to hurt you but you have to understand the way of things. They love one another fiercely and Robb has as much say in this as I do - he has earned that right time and time again. I’m not going to do anything that makes him uncomfortable, and for this to have a chance of working, I need you to respect that.”

 

“I’ll play by your rules, Myrcella. It was pretty obvious the way of things the other day. He seems… well I couldn’t really get a sense for him considering he was shooting daggers at me with his eyes… but I guess that tells me all it needs to, doesn’t it?,” he asked her and now she couldn’t help but smile. Robb had seemed so calm to her in the grocery store, but there was nothing that could hide his protectiveness apparently.

 

“Okay… well I guess we should order? I have to be back for a meeting at 2:15…,” she said glancing at her watch.

 

He nodded and they ordered, and a few moments later a salad was placed down in front of her across from his hamburger. They began to eat, not really saying much of anything.

 

“Could you tell me about him at least?,” he asked.

 

“What do you want to know?”

 

“Everything.”

 

***

 

Robb paced in the kitchen, checking the clock for the fifteenth time in half the minutes. Ella had to work late that evening so he’d gone to Winterfell for dinner where Tommy was now spending his days after school. Ella hadn’t been happy with Eglantine and after Robb had met her a few times, he wasn’t either. He knew Tommy was safe, but he wasn’t convinced she wasn’t just letting him watch tv all afternoon. He and Jon had talked about it and Jon had suggested that Tommy spent afternoons at Winterfell. He and Ella had readily agreed after they convinced Jon to let them split the cost, and the two children were delighted with the new program, having grown closer than ever, and now appeared to have adopted their own language.

 

It had been a normal, lovely evening at Sansa’s, but he couldn’t seem to join in the laughter.

 

_“You okay Daddy?,” Tommy asked from the back seat on their way home._

 

_“Yeah buddy, sorry I’ve been quiet. Did you have a good time with Kitty today?,” he asked him._

 

_“Mmmhm… Nanny Mordane let us bake cookies and then Uncle Rickon taught me how to drive,” Tommy said, looking casually out the window._

 

_“Uncle Rickon did WHAT now?,” Robb asked, not even registering the title, and Tommy started, “I’m sorry Tommy, Daddy was just surprised. What did you do with Uncle Rickon?”_

 

_“We drove! Kitty got a turn and then me. And then I crashed the car and it exploded,” Tommy explained._

 

_Video games, Robb. Get it together._

 

_“That sounds really fun, buddy! I’m glad you had a good time with him,” he said with a smile. Tommy could always make him smile, no matter what._

 

_“He’s awesome,” Tommy nodded. Then he added, “And he said I could call him Uncle. Can I?”_

 

_“Of course you can, Tommy. Rickon’s my brother which means you are his nephew,” he said as he pulled into the garage._

 

_“Because I’m your son?,” Tommy asked. He was so Ella’s child, always wanting to be very sure of the way of things._

 

_Robb tried not to think of what Ella had done today as he pulled Tommy out of his seat, grabbing his backpack and stuffed animal wolf. He shut the door and they walked towards the elevator._

 

_“Yeah, buddy,” he nodded, pressing a kiss to Tommy’s temple and trying to will away the tears, “You’re mine.”_

 

_“And you’re mine,” he said with a giggle. “And Mommy’s ours too, right? We get to share her?”_

 

_“Yep,” he said, smiling at him, “Aren’t we lucky?”_

 

_“The luckiest. She’s marvellous.”_

 

_“That’s right buddy. You and her are my marvels.”_

 

His phone rang, taking him out of his thoughts. He wondered if it was Ella letting him know she was on her way home and he was surprised to see that it was Jeyne. She never called him, not anymore, so he picked it up, hoping she wasn’t in any trouble. He couldn’t take another damn thing tonight.

 

“Hi Jeyne,” he said in a clipped tone.

 

“Robbert Hoster Stark, you sound _tense_ ,” she said in a teasing lilt.

 

“Now isn’t a great time, actually,” he said, trying to be a little less rude.

 

“Oh so she’s told you,” she said quickly.

 

“Who? Told me what?,” he asked and then closed his eyes. He’d fallen for the bait she’d dangled, like always.

 

“Why Ella of course! Oh has she not? Hmm…then maybe I shouldn’t either…,” she said and if he wasn’t mistaken it sounded like the edges of her words were fuzzy.

 

“Jeyne if it isn’t obvious let me be perfectly clear, I am not in the mood right now, so either tell me what you very obviously called me to say, or I’m hanging up,” he growled.

 

“Mmm bossy, not fair, you know how I like that,” she teased and then added, “I saw Ella today with a _positively yummy_ man, they looked…”

 

“I know who that was Jeyne, and I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and choose to believe that you were only calling out of the goodness of your heart, so thank you. But they are just…friends, now I really have to get going,” he said.

 

“That didn’t look like friendship to me… but maybe she and I are different,” she said.

 

“Believe me,” he snapped, “You are. Goodbye Jeyne.”

 

He hung up the phone, wishing he still had a flip phone so that it could make that satisfying _clap_ and set it down on the counter. He trusted Ella, she would never do anything to hurt him. Harry though? The man who had impregnated her and abandoned her? No, Harry he did not trust.

 

Just then the front door closed softly.

 

“Yeah San, I’ll tell him. Absolutely. Saturday sounds great. I’ll tell you all about it then, yeah, thanks for checking on me. Tell Jon thanks too. Yep, okay love you too, bye doll.”

 

She had kicked off her shoes as she was talking to Sansa and set down her bag on the couch, unzipping her coat and draping it over the back of the couch.

 

“Ella, I need to talk to you,” he said.

 

“In a minute,” she said and strode over to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

 

He didn’t want to give in to her, but he couldn’t help it. He had been aching to have her back in his arms since she’d kissed him goodbye that morning and now that he did, he couldn’t let her go. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back deeply until she clung to him, trying not to wonder if she’d ever clung to Harry like that.

 

It was her that pulled away and when she did she was starry eyed.

 

“I missed you today,” she said sweetly, “A lot,” she said and hugged him. He hugged her back, trailing his fingers down her spine. “Did Tommy go down alright? I might just go pop my head in.”

 

“We struggled a bit there,” Robb admitted, “I tried singing that lullaby to him but he asked me to stop,” he said with a small grin. He didn’t have a good singing voice and Tommy had been very diplomatic about it, though he was clearly missing Ella’s lilting melodies, “So I made him that cinnamon milk and laid down with him for a bit and that seemed to do the trick.”

 

She kissed him again, deeper this time and wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

“I love you so much, Robb Stark, so much I can’t see straight,” she said and took his hand, “Will you come with me to check on him? Then we can talk I promise.”

 

He sighed and nodded. He would forget about what Jeyne said. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t trust Harry. Ella, his sweetheart, the bright, beating heart of his life, he could trust.

 

“Sure sweetheart,” he said, stroking her cheek, “Whatever you want, you know that.”

 

***

 

She wasn’t sure whose idea it was to talk in the bath, but she was positive that it was entirely too difficult to focus when she made Robb a beard out of bubble bath.

 

“Ella, please,” Robb said, bubbles floating into the air with every word.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said and brushed it off of him. “By the way, you’ll be a very cute old man.”

 

“Ella,” he said sternly.

 

She sighed and wrapped her legs and arms around him.

 

“What do you want to know?,” she asked.

 

“Everything,” he said.

 

_“Everything, hmm, that’s a tall order,” she said and smiled in spite of herself, “Well as I said he is very emotionally mature. Very caring. He loves books and music - oldies are his favorite though he is not adverse to a Frozen sing-a-long. Frozen is a kids-,” she started to explain._

 

_“I know what Frozen is, Elsa’s a smoke show. Kind of looks like you,” he said with a cheeky grin._

 

_“Harry…”_

 

_“Right right, okay so what else? Does he play sports?”_

 

_“He’s three and a half…”_

 

_“So like…soccer?”_

 

_“We are working on the monkey bars currently. And swimming. He doesn’t like to put his face in the water, but he’s very brave about it.”_

 

_“Who takes him to swim lessons?,” he asked._

 

_“I do,” she said pointedly, “We are in a class with his best friend Kitty.”_

 

_“Girlfriend already, eh?,” Harry asked smugly._

 

_“Harry…,” she warned._

 

_“Right, right, okay. Does he have good taste at least?”_

 

“So do you believe him?,” Robb asked her. “That he didn’t _know_? I mean… is that even possible? What happened back then?”

 

“You’ve never asked me that,” she said, stalling.

 

“I know, sweetheart, because I knew you didn’t want to tell me. I wasn’t going to bring up your past but now your past has brought _itself_ up,” he said gently, rubbing comforting patterns on her back.

 

“We should get out and dry off,” she said and he opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off, “It’s a long story and I don’t want you to prune…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be a glimpse into younger Ella and Robb. Hope ya'll are still liking this :) What do we think of Harry? Can we believe him?


	13. Chapter 13

Four Years Ago

 

_No, no no no no no._

 

It seemed illogical, incomprehensible, that something so _small_ could change the course of her life forever.

 

The pregnancy test was no longer than the span from her thumb to her pinky and yet it held her very fate. Logically she understood that inside of her there was something far smaller than even that which would control her life forever after, but it was too hypothetical, too conceptual for her to understand. The little pink strip on the pregnancy test though, that was something she could reason with.

 

_I’m pregnant. I’m going to be a mother._

 

She understood academically that she had options. That there was adoption, even abortion, she knew all of that. She had read the pamphlets, sat through health education, seen the after school specials. Yet even in her abject horror she knew she would not pursue any of them. She had created a life and it resided inside of her. It _belonged_ to her and she to it. Him. Her. She couldn’t be sure, of course, but either way, she was its and it was hers.

 

She sat on the floor of her dormitory’s bathroom, her back against the door. She ignored the girls knocking for their turn in the one private bathroom. She was late for Art History, she’d never missed a class. She was meant to be going out with Jeyne that evening to a party at one of the fraternities, she couldn’t remember which. None of it mattered. Nothing mattered except that little pink strip.

 

*

 

“You’re what?,” Harry asked incredulously.

 

There was a dazed look about him, a glassiness to his eyes that made her wonder if he was high. She wouldn’t be surprised, not after her _Hey can we talk_ text. He never had been good with confrontation.

 

“Pregnant,” she said, picking at a thread on her sweater. “I’m sorry to just _spring_ it on you but… I thought you should know.”

 

“You’ve got no proof that it’s mine,” Harry said quickly.

 

She felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. _Proof?_ Wasn’t the blood on his bedsheets after their first time proof enough? Did he really think she could go from sleeping with no one to sleeping with two people in the span of two weeks?

 

“I’m not asking for anything,” she clarified. “I… just thought you should know.”

 

“Yeah well,” he said, nodding his head at some guys walking by his dorm room, “Thanks for dropping by.”

 

_Thanks for dropping by? Is this really the same boy that brought my mother flowers? Is he the same one that called me his brightest thing?_

 

“Sure…,” she said, standing up awkwardly because that’s what it seemed like he wanted her to do. “Harry…”

 

“Yeah?,” he asked, but he’d already picked up his phone as though girls told him every day that he had impregnated him.

 

“Nevermind,” she said and turned to leave.

 

“Myrcella?,” he asked and she turned around, still hoping stupidly that he would hug her or…something.

 

“Yeah Harry?,” she asked.

 

“Can you grab the door?,” he asked her, hopping on his bed.

 

She nodded dumbly and fled. She didn’t realise until she was out of the dorm that she’d forgotten to shut the door.

 

*

 

She had always hated this house.

 

It was nearly insulting to call it a house. Had they lived a few centuries prior it would be considered a castle, but as it stood it was referred to simply as a _mansion_ , something that had always made her grandfather clench his jaw in annoyance. Mansions were for the new rich, the ones who had made their fortunes in .coms and luxury athletic wear.

 

She drove through the gates and saw one of the familiar guards.

 

“Welcome home, Miss Myrcella,” he said with a small smile. She noted that he still wore the small black armband on top of his uniform. She wondered if they all did. “Is your mother expecting you?”

 

“No,” she said shaking her head, “I’m full of surprises today.”

 

He gave her a weary nod, and she knew that the gravity of what she’d come to share must be written all over her face. She drove on through the opened gates down the long driveway. It was impossible to drive quickly, with the loose pebbles of the drive, but even still she knew that her glacial pace was not due to caution. Not of that kind anyway.

 

Sooner or later, she made it to the circular driveway and parked near the fountain. Her mother would reprimand her for it, and Myrcella welcomed any distraction from the news she’d come to share.

 

She walked into the house and looked straight ahead, not glancing up at where the giant chandelier used to be. As always she was struck by the immense silence. It was cold inside despite the heat, spurred on by the sterile marble and lack of pictures on the wall.

 

_My child will not grow up in such a place._

 

She wasn’t sure where that thought had come from. She only knew that she felt it as surely as she felt her feet on the ground.

 

“Miss Myrcella we were not expecting you,” the head housekeeper, Lily, said.

 

“I know, I apologise Lily. Is my mother in?,” she asked.

 

“She’s in the small library with your uncle and grandfather,” she nodded.

 

Myrcella’s stomach sank. Another punishment of the gods, she was sure of it. Her mother alone was intimidating but ultimately caring. Her mother with her grandfather was a beast of a different coat.

 

“If you’d be so kind as to announce me,” Myrcella said. She would not shirk protocol now. She was not so foolish as to thing it would sway them to her side, but at the very least she would not antagonise them from the start.

 

“Very well, Miss, follow me,” Lily requested and Myrcella acquiesced.

 

They walked down the long hallway to the small library. Lily’s patent leather loafers were clicking on the marble floor and Myrcella felt entirely surrounded by that simple sound. _Clip clop clip clop._ Her heart beat in sympathy with it. _Clip clop clip clop._

 

“I apologise for the intrusion Mrs. Baratheon, Mr. Lannister, Mr. Lannister, but Miss Myrcella requests an audience,” Lily said.

 

“Myrcella is at school,” her mother said, as though the housekeeper was telling tales for her own amusement.

 

“Mother?,” Myrcella called lightly, not wanting Lily to suffer any further.

 

She stepped into the room and saw her grandfather behind the antique desk, though this was her mother’s home, her mother and uncle Jaime flanking him on either side. They looked like a divine jury, beautiful and unmerciful. Her mother had once told her that the gods had no mercy, and she wondered not for the first time if they Lannisters had made themselves in their image.

 

“Myrcella? Darling what are you doing here?,” her mother asked, crossing to her and taking her hands in hers.

 

She willed herself not to cry. Her mother had never been a _mom_ , had never baked her cookies or nursed her back to help. She had always been there though, in her own way and Myrcella craved the comfort of her arms and her familiar smell of lavender.

 

“I’ve come to tell you something,” she said as strongly as she could.

 

“Then tell us,” her grandfather said simply.

 

He was not a man swayed by a trembling lip. Her generation was meant to be seen and not heard, and he had always respected her more than her brothers for her ability to ascribe to that belief. Joffrey was too proud, Tommen, poor, sweet, Tommen was too emotional. She though, had neither pushed nor pleaded her entire life. She had dressed how they wanted her to and smiled how they wanted her to, and with the exception of one time she had never raged against them.

 

“I took a test,” Myrcella started feebly.

 

“If a teacher has given you an unsatisfactory grade simply provide their name and I will see to it,” her grandfather said gruffly, “There is no need for you to travel thirty minutes from school, taking time away from your other studies.”

 

“It…,” she started and looked at her uncle Jaime. He had tensed, as though he knew what she’d come to say already. He had always seemed to understand her better, love her better. Though perhaps that is just because she was said to look like her mother when she was her age. “I’m pregnant.”

 

“That’s impossible,” her mother said. “You’re a smart girl.”

 

_Smart enough to read a pregnancy test correctly._

 

“Mother…,” she started, stepping towards her. Her mother’s back straightened though and Myrcella stopped.

 

“No matter,” her grandfather said, “There are doctors who still operate with a modicum of discretion. We’ll find you an appropriate one and this chapter will be put to rest.”

 

“No,” she said simply, and they all turned to stare at her. “You will… _I_ will not give up my baby.”

 

“Young lady, I think you fail to realise the position you are in,” her grandfather said. “You are nineteen years old an unmarried. There is an _order_ to things in situations like this. You _will_ abide by it.”

 

“Grandfather, with all due respect, I will not,” she said, shaking her head. Irrationally her hand flew to her still flat stomach, determined to protect the little life inside of her. “This is my baby. I will not give it up.”

 

“Hear me, and hear me well,” her grandfather said, “You will either fall in line or we will _put_ you in line. Your brother has already caused one scandal that this family not overcome for generations. You will not add another.”

 

She doubled over as though she’d been kicked and she realised in that moment that it was not the marble floors or the lack of family photos that made this house cold.

 

“He was sixteen years old,” she said in a low voice, trying to control her emotions. “He asked for help… he _begged_ for help. I begged you - he was _sixteen_ and you…you called it a faze. You…”

 

“He was a Lannister,” her grandfather said simply. “We do not bend towards the wishes of individuals.”

 

“His sexuality was not a _wish_ it was part of who he _was_ and you…,” she said and the tears fell unbidden from her eyes. She could live a thousand lives and never forget the sight of her little brother hanging from that monstrous chandelier in the foyer. “You killed him.”

 

None of them had cried. Not even her mother. Myrcella cried for them all. She had pleaded with the gods to take her instead, to return him to her, her baby brother, her best friend, the only lightness in the misery of her family. But as her mother said, the gods had no mercy.

 

“Myrcella!,” her mother reprimanded, “Apologise at once.”

 

“Cersei the girl is terrified,” her uncle Jaime spoke up for the first time. “Perhaps we should all calm down and speak about this in the morning.”

 

“There is no need to settle nerves. There is a way of it and it doesn’t do any good to deny it,” her grandfather stated simply, “You _will_ give this baby up and in the future you will learn to keep your legs closed. You will graduate and I will find you a suitable husband and you will grow to be the credit to this house that with the exception of a few outbursts you have always been. You can be angry all you want but sooner or later you will thank me for it and if in fact you do not - well I really do not care.”

 

“Mother,” she started. Her grandfather was a lost cause, of that she was sure. Her mother though had always loved her children fiercely, in her own way. It did not always translate to tenderness, but it had beckoned protectiveness on more than one occasion. 

 

Her mother looked at her and attempted warmth, “You’ll see the way of it, when you’re older and you have babies in the right way. You’ll thank us then.”

 

She felt woozy and while logically she knew it was too early for morning sickness, she could not ignore the overwhelming nausea she felt in that moment.

 

“Come, Myrcella,” her uncle said as kindly as he could, “I’ll take you to your room. It will all be a bit better after a night’s sleep.”

 

She looked at him. Perhaps he was the one she should have appealed to in the first place. Though he was physically the most imposing of all three of them, he had always had a tender spot in his heart for her.

 

“Uncle…,” she started and he stepped forward to take hold of her.

 

“Myrcella - Myrcella?,” he cried.

 

“What did you want to be?,” she asked him curiously. She had fallen into his arms but it seemed no matter with his strong hands underneath her. “Surely not this.”

 

“Call for some milk of the poppy. I want an end to it,” her grandfather said.

 

It would have been so easy to give into the darkness at the edges of her eyes. So much easier, peaceful even. She thought of that little pink strip though, that had somehow become the only certainty in her world.

 

She wrenched herself out of her uncle’s arms, “No!”

 

“If you think I will give into tantrums you are not as clever as you think you are,” her grandfather said.

 

“This is not a _tantrum_ ,” she growled at him, “This is a warning. You and your disdain for scandal stole my brother from me, but hear me and hear me well, grandfather, you will not get my baby. I came here looking for support, but I can see now that I was mistaken.”

 

“Myrcella,” her mother said, “You cannot expect that I will allow you to have this child.”

 

“I do not expect that,” she said, shaking her head, “Because it is not in your control. _I_ am having this child. And you can be damn certain that if he or she ever come to me looking for _help_ I will not turn them away as you are doing now, as you did to Tommen. _My_ child will never wonder if their existence is less important than their name.”

 

“Perhaps,” her mother said, “But you will do it alone. If you pursue this, you are no child of mine.”

 

“Cersei,” her uncle warned.

 

“Stay out of it, your sister is the only one of you children who has ever understood what has to be done. If the girl thinks she knows what is best, so be it. She will not use our family’s money to raise a _bastard,_ ” her grandfather said.

 

“You would give up knowing your grandchild?,” she asked her mother.

 

“I have no grandchild,” her mother said, her jaw set. “As it appears I have no daughter.”

 

*

 

PRESENT DAY

 

“I later learned that they told the rest of the family that I had been sent to Essos for psychiatric treatment. They blamed it on Tommen,” she said, shaking her head, “They always blame everything on Tommen.”

 

She realised then that she had never told him about Tommen. Never explained Tommy’s namesake. Her brother and best friend, her confidante and the person she had failed more greatly than anyone else in the world.

 

“Did anyone…,” Robb started, but he was clearly at a loss. It was difficult for him to understand, him whose family was so close, so intrinsically tied to one another that the idea of detangling them was impossible. “Did they ever look for you?”

 

“Uncle Jaime found me when Tommy was one. He was on a business trip up here and he came to my old apartment. He told me that I would be welcome back,” she said.

 

“But you didn’t want to? That’s understandable, with the way they acted…,” he reasoned.

 

“No, Robb. They said that _I_ would be welcome back,” she reiterated.

 

He looked nauseous, dizzy.

 

“They thought you’d give him up? They thought… you’d give away your one year old son?,” he asked incredulously.

 

“He said _This is no way for the granddaughter of Tywin Lannister to be living. Come home, Myrcella. You’ll have other children. One boy cannot be worth an entire family_ ,” she said, shaking her head. She let out a brief harsh chuckle, “The funny thing is I think he meant to be kind.”

 

“So they…really just cut you off entirely?,” he asked her.

 

She nodded, remembering going back to her dorm room only to be told a week later that her tuition had been refunded. She left school, looked for a hotel and dinner only to find that her accounts had been frozen.

 

Her car had been in her name, thankfully, so she had been able to sell that. Her designer clothes and bags, her jewels, all of the trappings of the wealth of her former life. She sold it all, to buy food and diapers, to make the drive up north, as far away from the Lannisters as she could get, to pay rent that first year.

 

She put three locks on the door, not convinced that they would not come in the night to steal the life growing inside of her. They had all arguably done worse things in the past, and there was no limit to what they would do to protect the family legacy.

 

“I think though,” she said, “That even if they hadn’t, I would have broken free eventually. I saw what they did to Tommen…I could never…trust them with my son’s life. They killed my little brother,” she said, her lower lip trembling. She hadn’t thought about it in so long, never allowed herself to think about it. “He was sweet, so sweet and good. Tommy has his laugh,” she said letting out a little laugh cry, “And he loved them. In spite of what they were. He was proud to be a Lannister, though we carried the name Baratheon our father had long since passed, he was so proud. And they…tortured him for loving a boy. They just…they killed him.”

 

Robb said nothing, he just took her into his arms and rubbed her back in slow soothing patterns. He didn’t say anything as the sobs wracked her body, as she soaked his t shirt through. He just held her and she burrowed into the comfort of his embrace, the safety of his arms, trying in vain to crawl inside of him.

 

“You are magnificent,” he said after a while. She paused to look up at him questioningly. “You were nineteen, Myrcella,” he said shaking his head, “Still dealing with the death of your brother. It would have been so easy for you to just let them control you, to make your decisions for you. But you fought, you are so much braver than you know.”

 

“It wasn’t bravery,” she said, shaking her head. “I was terrified. It was just…necessity.”

 

Robb smiled sadly, “My father once told me that the only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid. It is not bravery if it costs you nothing, if you fear nothing. I only wish he had gotten to meet you.”

 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hoisted herself up. He held her to him so that her feet were not touching the ground and as always, he held her in such a way that told her he could do it for years yet and never tire. Not him, her great big titan of a man.

 

“You were the same age,” she said, “When you became a father. You too realised there was no choice to be made, that there were lives who depended upon you and you made it your sole mission to be worthy of them. You… my love… are the antithesis to Harry Hardyng. You are noble and strong and you love so fiercely and willingly. You are a man, Robb. You are the one I want to show Tommy what it is to be a man, how love makes you strong, how kindness makes you brave.”

 

Robb kissed her and she lost herself in it. They had lost so much, the pair of them, but had found so much too. More than either would have thought possible. When they broke apart Robb looked at her warily.

 

“Harry,” he said simply.

 

“To answer your question, I do believe him. I believe that my mother would have spun a tale, anything to avoid a scandal. She would not feel as though she owed him anything, the boy who impregnated her daughter, she may have even taken pleasure in denying him the chance to see his child grow. But even still…”

 

She thought back to that snowy day in Harry’s dorm room. The way it smelled faintly of weed and sex, with someone else of curse, the way his first reaction was to shirk responsibility.

 

“The boy he was is not someone I want in Tommy’s life,” she said shaking her head. She looked at him though and sighed, “But what if he has grown up? My family tried to deny me the right to my child. Can I truly do the same to him?”

 

Robb set her down and moved away from her. He was pacing and she went and sat on the bed. She was exhausted and she knew from experience that he could pace for hours yet.

 

“I don’t like it,” he told her finally. She looked at him, encouraging him to go on, “He… left you out in the cold. He never even checked on you, if he truly believed you had given the baby up, wouldn’t you think that he would at least check in to see how you were doing? I don’t…I won’t deny that your mother probably spun that tale. But… I don’t think it is beyond reason that he simply chose to believe it because it was easier. I don’t want somebody like that - somebody with that lack of loyalty or morality - around Tommy.”

 

“Okay,” she said simply.

 

“Okay?,” he asked her incredulously.

 

She nodded, “I told Harry I would speak to you about it and that I would only do what you, what we both, are comfortable with. If you’re not comfortable that’s all there is to it.”

 

“You told Harry that?,” he asked her, crawling up onto the bed, “Sweetheart you told him it was my decision as well?”

 

“Of course I did,” she said in confusion, “I would never…ask you to take on the responsibilities of his father without giving you the privileges of it too.”

 

“The responsibilities _are_ the privileges,” he said, taking her face in his hands. He leaned his forehead against her and said, “Oh my love, you have no idea what that means to me. I was prepared to… thank you.”

 

“You’ve shown your loyalty to me every moment since we met,” she said, “Let me show you mine too,” she said and pushed him so that he was seated before crawling onto his lap, “You’re his father, Robb,” she promised, “You’re the man he depends on, the man I depend on. Depend on _me_ ,” she pleaded, “Put your faith in me as I’ve put mine in you. I’m never leaving you behind. Trust that. Trust me.”

 

“Sweetheart I do,” he said, kissing her, “I promise I do. I’ll never doubt you. We’ll see it through, all of it, together. Gods I love you, my magnificent girl.”

 

“As I love you,” she said, thinking _my great titan of a man_.

 

“We should talk about it,” Robb said with a solemn nod. “We should think about if our being afraid is robbing Tommy of an opportunity. I don’t want him to miss out because…for anything.”

 

“We will,” she nodded, “Tomorrow. We’ll talk about it until we are blue in the face tomorrow and the day after that. But not now, not tonight. Kiss me, Robb, and make me forget about Harry Hardyng and the Lannisters, kiss me until they don’t exist.”

 

He never could deny her anything.


	14. Chapter 14

Ella sat on the edge of Tommy’s bed, stroking his curls. She’d just sung him his lullaby and even though he usually would drift off halfway through he had stubbornly kept his drooping eyelids from shutting fully.

 

“Come on, baby,” she said, “You’ll see him in the morning.”

 

“But I-,” he started and then the door swung open gently.

 

“Am I too late?,” Robb asked quietly. He was out of breath and there was perspiration on his forehead.

 

“Daddy!,” Tommy gurgled excitedly.

 

“Shh shh shhh,” Robb said, walking over to the bed. He knelt on the ground and kissed Tommy’s forehead, “Have you been giving your Mommy a hard time?”

 

“I wanted to see you,” Tommy confessed adorably, then looked up at her, “Sorry Mommy.”

 

She couldn’t exactly reprimand him for wanting to see Robb. It was all she wanted, all she had never dared dream of. A man that Tommy would love as much as she did, a man who would love him so much in return that he’d sprint home if it meant being able to say goodnight.

 

“That’s okay, baby,” she told him, kissing the little hand that had grabbed hers, then she stroked Robb’s head, “I wanted to see Daddy too.”

 

Robb’s eyes darkened and he drank her in. This man could set her on fire with a single glance and he was doing more than glancing. It made her feel like she was in lingerie rather than a pair of pajama pants and one of his sweaters.

 

He kissed her wrist and then turned back to Tommy. Her wrist burned where his lips had made contact and she was beginning to question her sanity.

 

“Tommy want to know a secret?,” Robb asked him. Tommy nodded vigorously, and Robb continued, “Even on nights when I come home too late to see you, do you know where my first stop is?”

 

“To kiss Mommy,” Tommy suggested.

 

Robb grinned and said, “Nope, she’s always my second stop. Which tells you how important my first one is, doesn’t it?” Tommy nodded vigorously again. He’d long stopped making kissy noises at them, but she had no illusions that he didn’t notice how often she and Robb touched, how many times a weekend day that they kissed. She didn’t want him to fail to notice. She’d grown up in a household where her mother and father never kissed, never touched or laughed, and so as she entered dating she had no idea what indifference was, as she had no benchmark by which to judge it. Tommy though, would. “I always come in here and check on you, make sure you’re safe and happy, do you know why?”

 

“Because you love me best,” Tommy answered dutifully.

 

“That’s right, son,” Robb nodded, “Because me and your Mommy love you more than anything.”

 

“I love you guys more than _anything_ too,” Tommy told him right away. She wondered if Robb’s heart swelled to hear it, like hers did. She was so lucky, spoiled rotten with luck and some days it felt like it could kill her. Tommy thought for a moment though and said, “And then do you check on Mommy? She gets sad when you aren’t here too.”

 

Robb looked over at her and she looked down at her lap. That was something she didn’t want her son to notice necessarily.

 

She looked up at Tommy with a bright smile though and said, “Of course he does, baby.”

 

Tommy looked contented, but she didn’t need to look at Robb to know that he did not. They said their goodnights to him, and she left the room so that Robb could give him his special blessing. She knew they wouldn’t mind if she stayed, but she liked the idea of them having something that was only theirs. She and Tommy still had their things, from his lifetime before Robb, and even though neither of them would hesitate to include him, Tommy’s face would still light up when she’d say _Okay, for old times sake…_

 

She loaded the remaining plates and cups from dinner in the dishwasher, wiping down the kitchen table. Robb teased her that she was afraid of a mouse in the house, but she just couldn’t stand to go to sleep with a messy kitchen. She poured coffee in the machine and set it so that it would be ready when Robb got back from his run.

 

She heard him close the door and felt him come up behind her. Her hands were on the counter and he placed his on top of them, boxing her in. She could feel him against her backside.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, tucking his face into her neck.

 

“For what?,” she asked him, but then she felt his arms come around her and she knew what. “Robb it’s nothing, he just…worries about me.”

 

“I’ll work less,” Robb said, “Or start bringing work home in the evenings.”

 

“No, don’t do that,” she said shaking her head, “I mean…yes for your sake I’d like you to work fewer hours, but not for mine. It’s nothing, he’s reading too much into it. I’m the one who should be apologizing, he shouldn’t be able to pick up on that, he shouldn’t make you feel guilty.”

 

“He’s the most empathetic kid I’ve ever met, sweetheart, and you’re the center of his world, of course he picked up on it,” Robb said, his lips at her temple. He squeezed her tighter and she crossed her arms, holding his, “And as for him making me feel guilty - that’s exactly what he’s supposed to do. He’s your protector, sweetheart, has been long before I knew you. It’s his job to tell me when I’m failing you. Especially because you _won’t_.”

 

“You are _not_ failing me,” she said vehemently, turning around. She grabbed him by the face, “Robb look at me,” she didn’t speak again until his blue eyes were on hers, “You have done nothing but spoil me every moment we’ve known one another. It’s made me rotten and greedy. But that doesn’t mean you work less or you spend more time here. It just means I have to be as strong as I was before I knew you.”

 

He kissed her, grabbing her by her neck and tilting her face up to him with his thumbs. He kissed her fiercely and softly until she was dizzy. She felt a tear hit her cheek and it wasn’t until she opened her eyes that she realized it had fallen from his eyes and not hers.

 

“Oh my love,” she said, “Why is this affecting you so? Don’t you know we just love you and love being around you?”

 

“Because I feel the same,” Robb said, “You think you need to be stronger? There’s a rumor that people try to book meetings with me after six when they want something, because they’ll know I’ll say yes to anything if it means getting out and getting home to you. Ella I can’t breathe until I check on Tommy, until I see you. I’ve waited so long for the two of you, and I can’t screw it up.”

 

“You won’t,” she said, shaking her head, “You can’t, okay? As long as you love us this much, you can’t screw up. And as for those rodents that book meetings with you after six - don’t give them what they want just so you can get home to me,” she said, her hands weaving into his hair. She kissed his neck up to his earlobe and sucked on it. His hands gripped her sides under her sweater, “Give them _hell_ for keeping you from me.”

 

He growled at her and wrenched her head up to his so that he could kiss her again. She was in his arms in the next moment, and she squeezed her thighs around him as he walked them back to their bedroom. She closed the door behind them and she went to take off the sweater she was wearing.

 

“Leave it on,” he commanded, “I like seeing you surrounded by me.”

 

“I like being surrounded by you,” she told him, then whispered in his ear, “Now take your pants off so you can be surrounded by _me_.”

 

“Fuck, _sweetheart_ ,” he whimpered as he set her down in front of their bed. She pushed her pajama pants and helped him pull down his suit pants. He’d taken off his jacket and now only had his shirt on, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows in that way that made her want him to take her over his knee. He spun her around and pulled her flush against him, his mouth on her ear, “Bend over.”

 

“Yes Daddy,” she said, taking a chance.

 

She’d seen the way his eyes flashed when she’d said it in Tommy’s room, and she knew that if she was wrong he wouldn’t make her feel bad about it.

 

He ripped her panties, pushing her back down and mounted her seemingly in a single movement. _Guess I wasn’t wrong._

 

 _“Fuck sweetheart, you’re so wet for me,”_ he groaned when he was inside of her. He set a punishing pace and she pushed her face into the bed so she wouldn’t scream in pleasure. “Have you been thinking about me?”

 

“Yes, _yes, yes, yes,_ ” she cried, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she was just reacting to what he was doing or if she was answering him, but either way it was true.

 

“Good girl,” he panted, rolling his hips now and hitting her at a different angle, she whimpered, tears rolling out of her eyes. It should be impossible, to feel this much, it had to kill her. “Oh sweetheart you’re going to be alright, I’m going to take good care of you,” he said and she protested when he removed himself from her until she felt him kneel behind her and bury his face in her. He held her steady as he licked and sucked at her and her entire body spasmed as her first orgasm washed over her. He dragged his face back up, his nose in between her butt cheeks and then moved away.

 

 _Smack_.

 

“ _Robb_ ,” she cried. He knew what would happen if he did this and he was intent on it anyway.

 

_Smack. Smack._

 

 _“Is that what you call me?,”_ he asked in her ear. She wasn’t entirely sure when he’d stood up or how he seemed to be everywhere at once. She shook her head no. _Smack. “Tell me.”_

 

“No Daddy,” she whimpered.

 

He rubbed her butt cheek, “Good girl, that’s my good girl.” _Smack. Smack._ She moaned as she felt herself building, “That’s it sweetheart,” _Smack._ “Such a good girl,” _Smack._ “I love you so much,” _Smack._ “Now come for me.” _Smack. Smack. Smack._

 

It was out of her control, she danced to his tune, and she felt the orgasm wash over her violently. She hadn’t realised she was crying until he’d picked her up and brought her over to the head of the bed. He sat down and pulled her into his lap, pressing kisses to her temple.

 

“Shh shh, sweetheart, shh shh it’s all going to be okay,” he promised her, “Was that too much?”

 

She nodded, because it was, “But I liked it.”

 

“Ella, gods be good,” he said, his forehead falling against hers, “You are going to be the death of me.”

 

“Not yet,” she said, having recovered. She twisted in his lap so she was straddling him, “Not yet,” she repeated and sunk down onto him.

 

“ _Oh_ Ella,” he whimpered, and he wrapped one arm around her back, gripping her shoulder and the other cupping her butt. He didn’t guide her, he just held onto her as she rocked back and forth.

 

“This is what I want you to think about when you have to work late nights,” she told him, arching her back.

 

“This is all I think about,” he assured her, pressing kisses to her breasts through his sweater, “Why do you think I’m so eager to leave?”

 

“Think about this,” she said, rotating her hips, her fingernails digging into his back through his shirt, “You stay as late as you need, you do what you need to do, and you make them _pay_ for keeping this from us.”

 

“Ella, sweetheart,” he moaned, and she watched as his eyes got cloudy. He was looking at her like she might be a goddess and she rolled her hips again to make him sure of it. “I’m not going to last.”

 

“Come for me,” she said, “Come on Robb. I need you, gods how I love you, my great big titan. Come for me, please, _give me another baby.”_

 

He groaned and released into her, holding her body against him.

 

***

 

He lay satiated and spent, a smug satisfied grin on his face that only came from making love to Ella. There was a feeling when he was inside of her that he’d never experienced. It wasn’t just that their sex was good, though it was, it _really_ was, the best sex of his life, it was an overwhelming contentment, an understanding, amidst the never ending desire.

 

He turned to hold her and found her laying on her stomach, his sweater still on her tiny frame, her face in her hands.

 

“Sweetheart?,” he asked, concerned that he’d been oafish without realising it. He lost control sometimes with her. She’d never complained, only assured him that she loved him, that she loved it, that she never wanted him to dull his feelings.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head.

 

“For what?,” he asked, trying to prod one of her hands away. She was a stubborn little thing though, and too strong for him to move it without hurting her.

 

“I can’t believe I said that - while we were - I’m so… _embarrassed_ ,” she said, still hiding from him.

 

“Sweetheart I need some specifics so I can note the exact ways you’re being crazy,” he said trying to hold back a laugh, trying to goad her out of it, “I know how you like examples.”

 

She looked at him and scowled and he couldn’t help but grin at her. She rarely showed this side of her personality and it was always fascinating to him when she did. Especially because he knew she was overthinking whatever it was.

 

“I told you to give me another baby. While you were _inside_ me,” she said and he saw the blooms on her cheeks, “I called you _Daddy_ and then I demanded you give me another baby. What is the _matter_ with me?”

 

“Sweetheart…,” he said, lifting her hand that had covered her eyes, “Did it occur to that I spanked you and _demanded_ you call me Daddy or that I have never come harder than I did when you said that to me?”

 

“Never?,” she asked with a small smile.

 

“ _Never_ ,” he promised, pushing her back gently on the bed so he could hover over her. “The idea of you having my child in here…,” he said his hand underneath the sweater so that he could stroke her flat abdomen, “The idea of creating a life with you… gods sweetheart,” he said shaking his head, “It drives me _crazy_.”

 

She lifted off the bed and kissed him. Even still, even now, on their two-millionth kiss he hadn’t quite gotten over the sensation of her reaching for him. He kissed her back deeply, his arm wrapping around her back to support her.

 

“Maybe we can…,” she said when she pulled away, “Start talking about it. If you…really want to that is. Maybe we could start thinking about what we want the next phase of our lives to look like?”

 

They had already been talking about houses. He had wanted to move closer to Winterfell for a while, sick of living in the city. He knew she felt like he was making the decision based solely on Tommy, but he wasn’t. Even if he were, he’d noted the night before, as his father that was what he was supposed to do. The truth was though, he wanted more space for the three of them and Grey Wind, and he wanted more bedrooms to fill.

 

He knew she loved the apartment. They had made a home together, months before he’d given her full reign over redecorating and her and Sansa had made curtains and seat cushions. They’d finally gotten Tommy’s room to rival his old one. But he knew her hesitation went further than that. An imbalance of finances as she liked to say.

 

_Everything I have is yours already._

 

_You may feel differently eventually, money has a way of withering relationships._

 

_But it is our money, there is nothing to wither._

 

“I have been thinking about it…,” he said, “And there’s actually some things I want to show you. They are on the kitchen table… will you come with me?”

 

She nodded with a smile and stood up. He could see her butt cheeks just poking out underneath his sweater as she strode to the closet and he had to fight the urge to follow her. She pulled on a pair of pajama pants and tossed him a pair of sweatpants. Theirs was not a naked house, not when Tommy was home.

 

He took off his dress shirt and pulled on the sweatpants, feeling silly wearing the two together and held out his hand for her which she readily took. He knew his hand was shaking when she pulled it up to her lips and kissed it.

 

“If this is another 7 bedroom 45 car garaged house - well it had _better_ have a nice garden,” she teased.

 

“Hey that house had a tennis court and a basketball court,” he pointed out, thinking back to one of the first homes the real estate agent had forwarded to them.

 

“And when was the last time _you_ shot hoops?,” she asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

 

“I’ve got game, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her to him, “I’ve got moves you’ve never seen before…”

 

“But we don’t need a basketball court for you to show them to me,” she said saucily and he kissed her hungrily.

 

It had not alluded him that she had managed to calm his nerves without bringing his attention to them. It was a gift of hers, an ability to soothe him. One of many gifts.

 

He walked them over to the kitchen table and set her down at a chair in front of the things he wanted her to review.

 

She picked up the small stack of papers and looked at it and then at him. Repeating it at least a couple of times.

 

“Ella?,” he asked.

 

“This isn’t a house,” she said, “Are these real?," she asked, looking back at the papers.

 

"I've been assured by Theon that they are, so we have at least a 50/50 chance," he said, attempting a joke.

 

She looked at him as though she might try to laugh but no sound came out. He pulled her chair out and knelt before her, his nerves returning.

 

"Sweetheart...," he started taking her hands in his, "I'm kind of freaking out right now. Can you tell me what you're thinking so we can think about it together?"

 

“These are adoption papers,” she said.

 

"Am I being too presumptuous?," he asked her. After all the discussions they’d had he figured she would be expecting it. He should have spoken to her though, they should have gone to the lawyers together. He had wanted it to be a surprise but he now realised that was a miscalculation. Still though, he couldn’t fix it if he didn’t know exactly how she was feeling, "Ella, sweetheart, talk to me."

 

"When did you do this?," she asked and he saw the wheels turning in her head. She liked facts as she was processing, it helped her find solid ground.

 

"I started the conversation the weekend you guys moved in," he told her. It was the night Tommy had called him Daddy for the first time at Winterfell. He’d been saying goodnight to Theon when he’d first broached the topic.

 

_That’s quite a thing, man. I know you love her, and him, but… Daddy… that’s the kind of name that changes everything._

 

_I want it to. I’m ready - I think I’ve been ready my whole life. For them._

 

_Well they were worth waiting for, I’ll give you that._

 

_If I…if we decide to make it official…what is that process like?_

 

_Take me to lunch this week, I’ll take my legal fees in burgers and fries._

 

_I can pay you._

 

_Consider it three years of birthday presents to your son. Can’t really think of anything I could give that kid that’d be better than a father like you…_

 

_What has Shireen done to you?_

 

_Ruined me. Completely._

 

"That was months ago...," she said, as though trying to think back."You knew then?"

 

"I knew long before that," Robb said, and smiled, “Basically around the time that Tommy chased you around holding a giant worm."

 

She smiled at the memory. It had been the first day they met. 

 

"And this isn't because of Harry?," she asked. Probably thinking about the conversations they'd been having for the past few days. The meeting that was scheduled for next week. "I know you're still not comfortable..."

 

"I'm not, I'm not sure that I ever will be. You know how I feel about it, _him_ , but this isn't me marking my territory. These things just take time, I can show you the timestamps on my emails with my lawyer, they predate Harry," he assured her and she nodded, believing him at his word just like she’d promised that she would.

 

"Where do I sign?," she asked him, "Do you have a pen?"

 

"You're saying yes? Just like that?," he asked with a grin. His heart soared in his chest.

 

"Robb you want to buy a house with us, Tommy already knows you're his father. And I know you say that it doesn't have to do with Harry, and I believe you, but...it makes me feel better to know that it's the two of us, together in this. Of course I’m saying yes."

 

He hadn’t realised how nervous he’d been until she said yes. He had reasoned that he shouldn’t be, that she had made it perfectly clear how much she valued his role in Tommy’s life. They had been talking about schools and she would nod and consider when he promoted the private school him and his siblings had attended. She not only allowed but encouraged him and Tommy to have one on one time together. She had sat up with him night after night this week while they discussed Harry back and forth, each night they switched positions until they held each other and went to check on Tommy.

 

"You know what I love about you?," he asked her. She blushed prettily, the way she always seemed to when he told her that and he continued, shifting so that he was on one knee and reaching towards the table, "I love how good of a mother you are, how you always put Tommy first. I love how you love him, how that love is wrapped around you like it is part of your identity. I love how it blinds you," he said and proffered the little navy blue velvet box that had been resting on top of the adoption papers, "Even to things like this."

 

With that he opened the box and revealed his mother’s engagement ring. It had been in the Stark family for the past century and it was small and delicate just like Ella, with a large center diamond and two interlocking slender bands adorned with minute diamonds. He would have bought her a new one if he thought she would have preferred it, but as the girl who had grown up with everything, only to be left with nothing, he knew she was not swayed by flash. He knew she would prefer something with sentiment, and in truth, he craved seeing it on her finger.

 

“ _Robb_ ,” she breathed.

 

"Myrcella Penelope Baratheon, you are the love of my life, the bright, beating heart of my world, I have loved you since the first moment I saw you and I have loved you more and more every moment since. Please do me the incredible kindness of being my wife, let me love and take care of you and our son, build a life with me, sweetheart. Because without you there is no life to be had. Marry me, marry me, my darling girl."

 

She pushed back the chair and she knelt down with him.

 

“There are so many things I want to say,” she said and there were tears in her eyes, beckoning his own, “And I promise I’ll say them all. I’ll say them all every day for the rest of our lives if you let me. Yes, Robbert Hoster Stark, I’ll marry you. Of course I’ll marry you.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Thanks for doing this Robby,” Sansa said and then promptly began coughing up a lung.

 

He pulled Kitty away from her as though she had the plague, earning a glare from his sister and a giggle from his niece.

 

“No problem, Dovey,” he said and turned the stove on for tea. He put Kitty down and said, “Hey darlin’, why don’t you go upstairs and get out some pajamas. You can come stay with me tonight. I’ll be up in a minute.”

 

“Sleepover? Really? Will Auntie Ella bake cookies with us?,” she asked him, jumping up and down, “And paint my nails? AND DANCE PARTY!?!”

 

He chuckled, making a lot of promises for his fiancé, “She absolutely will.”

 

Kitty ran off, Ghost following her up the stairs. Lady stood pressed to Sansa’s side where she sat at the island.

 

“Robb are you sure?,” Sansa asked, blowing her nose. “With every-,” cough, “every,” cough, cough.

 

“Yes,” he said simply, because he wasn’t sure how long it was going to take for Sansa to get out that sentence in her current condition.

 

Jon was traveling on business and Sansa had come down with an awful cold. When Sansa had called last night asking if Robb would take Kitty to her swim lessons, it had been Ella who had stood there nodding at him.

 

 _“She’s so close to dunking her head,”_ Ella had whispered while he was on the phone with Sansa.

 

After assuring Sansa that Ella would be thrilled to have Kitty in any circumstance, and making sure that she was loaded up with cold medicine and tea and blankets, he had gone up and helped Kitty pack for the weekend.

 

They drove to the pool, the ride passing quickly with Kitty telling him all about school and what she thought of Rickon’s new girlfriend. They got changed into their bathing suits and he thought that the mothers were going to keel over seeing Kitty in her vintage looking ruffled swimsuit. Though his niece did not love girly things (Auntie Arya’s influence was waning though in the face of Auntie Ella’s pink nail polish), she usually did like it when she was made a fuss over for wearing them. Today though, she clung to him, tucking her face under his chin and by the time they got to the pool deck she was shaking.

 

“Darlin’ what’s wrong?,” he asked her.

 

“I don’t want to do it, Uncle Robb,” his usually fearless niece told him, tiny arms locked around his neck.

 

He sat down at the pool edge and rubbed her back.

 

“I thought you loved swim lessons,” he said to her.

 

He knew that she, like Tommy, had been struggling with putting her head under water. Sansa and Ella had been assured by the instructor that this was a developmental thing between _toddler_ and _little kid_. As they got older they developed more fear, and the sensation of being surrounded by water could plague children for years. They were all determined that without pushing, the kids would learn to do it this winter, so that come summertime they would be able to just have fun in the water.

 

Other than that though, from everything Ella had told him, Kitty loved swim lessons. Sansa had even sent a video of Kitty and Ella last week making whirlpools.

 

“Tommy’s not here,” she said, “Why? Where is he?”

 

Their teachers all believed that it was Kitty who was making Tommy braver, and he knew they were right. Tommy was more social with the kids in their class now than he had been at the start of the year, and that was thanks to his complete comfort with Kitty. What the teachers didn’t see though was the way Kitty had started trying more foods through watching Tommy or the way Kitty would look to Tommy during a movie to see if he was afraid to determine whether she needed to be afraid, the way his son would lean over and say _Look how silly the monster’s face is_ and then do an impression of it until she was giggling and fearless once again.

 

“He had to do something with Auntie Ella,” he told her, stroking her soft hair. His stomach churned in anger but he kept his voice kind and reassuring, “But he’ll be here next week.”

 

Kitty nodded against him but her grip on him didn’t loosen. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do in this situation. He knew that it was important that she learn to swim, but he also didn’t want to push her and make her more afraid.

 

If it was Sansa or Jon with her, they’d know what to do. As her parents they knew her stubborn and reticent side more than he did. He was Uncle Robb, and usually everything they did was an _adventure_ , so usually if she didn’t want to do something they just found something else. Tommy had taught him that pivoting wasn’t always the answer though, that sometimes you had to push through, gently, but still. He thought of Ella, and how she never seemed to raise her voice or make any demands, but how she got Tommy to move in whichever direction she wished him to go the way a boat followed the current. 

 

“What if you don’t swim?,” he suggested, “What if I swim and you just hold onto me like you’re doing now?”

 

“You won’t let go?,” she asked him.

 

“Promise,” he assured her. She nodded in agreement and he put her higher on his shoulder and eased them into the pool.

 

He kicked away from the pool’s edge, away from her swim group, swimming lazily while holding her with one arm. He tilted on his back, letting her rest on his chest and closed his eyes. He’d always loved swimming, loved the way the water muted everything, the feeling of being carried.

 

“Umhl Rhmm?,” he heard and opened his eyes looking into Kitty’s wide Tully eyes.

 

“Yeah darlin?,” he asked, worried that even still she might be afraid.

 

“Is that as fun as it looks?,” she asked curiously.

 

“Funner,” he said with a grin. She looked at him hesitantly so he said, “Want to try?”

 

She nodded and he moved them closer to the shallow end so that his feet could touch the pool’s floor.

 

“Okay, my heart,” he said, “You’re going to lean back and kick your feet up but I’m going to hold on okay?”

 

“Okay,” she said, but she held onto his wrist once he’d gotten her in position. She kicked her legs up until she was floating on her back.

 

“What do you think?,” he asked her.

 

Her giggle was the only response he needed. With that he began to move her this way and that, her shrieks of laughter echoing in the pool. Soon the hold on his wrist was gone as she let her arms fan out as though she was going to make a snow angel. He knew they were missing her class, but it didn’t matter. The other kids were practicing kicking but she could do that anytime, the important thing now was that she wasn’t afraid.

 

After a while, she looked at him and said simply and determinedly, “I want to swim.”

 

His heart nearly burst at how brave she sounded and he nodded, offering her his hand. She put her little ones in his and he pulled her gently off her back. Her little legs moved faster than he would have thought possible, trying to keep as much of her body out of the water as she could.

 

“It’s okay, darlin, you don’t have to work so hard, I’ve got you,” he promised, swimming backwards holding her hands up so that her chest was out of the water. She slowed her movements, and grinned at him, “See? Nice and easy.”

 

“I’m swimming!,” she exclaimed, looking down at her legs, “Uncle Robb look!”

 

“I see you, darlin you’re doing so good!,” he exclaimed back, even prouder than she was.

 

He lead them around the pool, keeping a tight hold on her as they got into the deep end. They had been talking easily about all the things they were going to do with Tommy and Ella when they all got home and as they did her movements had gotten more natural and less intentional.

 

She seemed comfortable, so he decided to push his luck and said, “Holy my hands tight, I’m going to dunk.”

 

With that he went under water and made a silly face up at her. When he came up she kept looking between him and the water. Without warning him she dunked her face under. She was only under a moment and when she came up she had a shocked expression on her face like she too couldn’t quite believe she had done it.

 

“I did it! I did it!,” she exclaimed, her legs once again working on overdrive but this time it was to jump into his arms.

 

He held her tightly, “You did it! Oh Kitty I’m so proud of you, darlin.”

 

“You didn’t let go,” she said, letting out an ecstatic giggle.

 

“I told you I wouldn’t,” he said, cupping her head in his hand. He tried to keep his voice light but he couldn’t when he said, “I’d never let you go.”

 

“Not even if you and Auntie Ella have babies?,” she asked softly, her tone matching his.

 

“Not even then,” he promised, squeezing her tighter.

 

He and Ella had been afraid that she would feel this way. Even though she and Tommy had grown as close as siblings, and she loved and idolised Ella, they were afraid that she would be nervous that she would lose her spot as his best girl. That was one of the reasons Ella had been so adamant about him coming today, and why he hadn’t fought as hard as he would have liked to. His niece had to know how important she was to him, no matter what.

 

“You’re my heart, Kitty Snow, and no matter what, you always will be. Besides, if me and Auntie Ella have babies, do you know what that means?”

 

“I’ll have more cousins?,” she asked.

 

They had all recently taught Tommy and her the word, explaining that that is what they were to each other now. They had scrunched their faces and Tommy had asked _Can we still be best friends?_ they’d assured them that they could and Kitty had asked _And have sleepovers?_ they’d assured them that they could. There had been a lot of questions like that and Jon had finally said _All it means, kids, is that no matter what, you two always have to be there for each other, because you’re family and that’s what family does._ That had seemed reasonable enough for them.

 

“That’s right,” he told her, “That’s just more people who are going to love you like I do.”

 

“Like Auntie Ella does?,” she asked hopefully.

 

He had never loved his fiancé more than he did in that moment. That her love was considered an absolute by his niece. That it gave her confidence and understanding, that it was something that kept her on steady ground.

 

“Exactly like Auntie Ella,” he promised. “She’ll never let you go either, you know that don’t you?”

 

“I know,” she nodded, “She told me.”

 

And just like that, he loved Ella even more.

 

***

 

Ella pulled into the parking lot of the park a few minutes before 9:30. She had tried to convince Tommy that the park was a three season activity, that maybe something likethe Children’s Museum would be a better fit for a snowy Saturday, but he had brought up snowmen and snow angels and she had been swayed. She loved the snow and so did her son, and she wanted him to feel comfortable.

 

She knew she’d made the right decision when she’d seen the way Grey Wind had been locked to her and Tommy’s side all morning.

 

 _“He just doesn’t want to get left behind_ ,” Robb had told her.

 

 _“He isn’t being left behind,”_ she’d said as Grey Wind pressed himself to her side, _“I think he can sense my nerves, I’m not going to torture him by making him stay here.”_

 

Robb had given her a small smile and kissed her, before leaning down and looking at Grey Wind, master and wolf communicating silently. He’d rubbed Grey Wind’s head and then left to go pick up Kitty, and Grey Wind had stayed locked to her and Tommy since.

 

She had been hoping that Robb would be here with her. That had been the plan, but when Sansa had called she hadn’t hesitated urging Robb to take Kitty to swim lessons. They all spent a lot of time together but Robb hadn’t had much time one on one with Kitty recently and she could tell it was taking it’s toll on both of them. Kitty had refused even Rickon’s offer to go sledding last Sunday, only wanting her favorite Uncle Robb to take her.

 

They got out of the car and walked towards the playground. She stopped Tommy though and knelt down, taking his little mittened hands in hers.

 

“Okay baby,” she said, forcing a smile onto her face, “You remember what I said right? We are going to play with my friend Harry for a little bit.”

 

“I’m supposed to be swimming,” Tommy said with a slight pout.

 

“I know baby, but Harry really wanted to meet you! We love new friends, don’t we?,” she asked.

 

“Yes,” he said solemnly. “But what about Kitty? She doesn’t like swimming without me.”

 

“I didn’t know that,” Ella said. She’d never seen either child swim without the other, so it had never jumped out at her that Kitty relied on Tommy. Of course Tommy, her overwhelmingly empathetic son knew though. She was confident that Robb would overcome that though so she said, “But Daddy’s with her, so I bet she’s okay, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah!,” he said brightly, “She can do anything with Daddy.”

 

“That’s right, baby. And do you want to know something extra special?,” she asked him, knowing the card to play that would get them through the morning. He nodded excitedly, “After her swim lessons, Kitty is going to come back and stay with us for _the rest of the weekend_.”

 

“Yes!,” Tommy exclaimed.

 

She stood up and took one of his hands in hers, heading towards the swing set. She saw Harry there, in a parka of his own, two to-go coffee cups in his hand.

 

“Hey van-,” he started but immediately stopped talking.

 

He couldn’t be blamed for it, because there was an enormous wolf approaching him slowly, growling. He stood dead still, his face white in fear. She had never seen Grey Wind react like this. Usually his mere presence was enough to deter any unwelcome advancements, even if he was dopily trying to steal pastries out of a bag she was holding. She tugged on his leash but he seemed to hardly feel it, his body locked in front of her and Tommy.

 

“Grey Wind,” Tommy said though and the wolf immediately got out of his aggressive pose and trotted back to them, sniffing Tommy’s face.

 

“I’m sorry, Harry,” she said honestly. “He… he’s just protective of Tommy,” she said, though the way Grey Wind pressed himself against her proved her to be a liar.

 

“T-that’s okay,” he said, not taking his eyes off of Grey Wind.

 

She hadn’t really thought about this when she’d brought him. He had just been freaking out so much that she couldn’t leave him, knowing it would torture him until they got back. She had only seen the comforting aspects of his protectiveness, the way he covered Tommy’s tummy while he slept, or the way he lay loyally on the floor at Robb’s side when he watched hockey on the couch, or the way he sat at her feet while she made dinner. She had never seen the aggressive side of him.

 

Then she thought back to Robb kneeling down, their wordless communication and she shook her head. The pair of them were unbelievable.

 

She stroked Grey Wind’s head until he sat and finally laid down in the snow. She stepped forward and took the to-go cup from Harry with a reserved smile and an apology in her eyes.

 

“Harry,” she said, when she was confident Grey Wind wouldn’t snap, “This is Tommy.”

 

“Hey Tommy,” Harry said with a friendly wave, “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

 

“Like what?,” Tommy asked curiously.

 

It reminded Ella so much of the first time Tommy had met Robb. They’d been here, in this very park. Robb had been another strange man and Tommy had been curious about him, really curious. He’d buried his face in her leg though until Robb crouched down immediately to greet him, a wide open smile on his face. Tommy seemed less interested now, but more confident in himself, leaning his back against Grey Wind’s chest.

 

“Well I heard that you like to build snowmen, is that true?,” Harry asked. Tommy nodded and Harry smiled, “Do you want to build a snowman?”

 

“Mommy it’s like Frozen!,” Tommy said with a delighted giggle.

 

“It _is_ like Frozen,” she said, not being able to help smiling back at him, “I brought some carrots if you want to make an Olaf.”

 

“What do you say, pal?,” Harry asked, finally crouching down so that he could roll some snow in his gloved hands.

 

“Okay,” Tommy said and stepped forward.

 

She held Grey Wind to her side and sat on the bench, watching the two of them start to build. Grey Wind looked at her with those yellow eyes, just like he had on the first day they met. He looked at her like he’d protect her always, and then at Tommy like it wasn’t right that he wasn’t right there next to him.

 

She pet his head as soothingly as she could and he placed it in her lap, sighing sadly.

 

_I know handsome, I know. We’ll keep him safe, don’t worry._

 

***

 

Kitty had been chattering happily since the pool, her success enough to make her practically vibrate with excitement. They’d stopped at Drip and picked up their famous hot chocolate and now she was sitting on the counter in her footy pajamas.

 

It was only noon, but given that snow was forecasted and their stocked refrigerator, he knew they wouldn’t be leaving again, so when she’d asked to put them on he hadn’t refused.

 

He stood in front of her, stirring the tomato soup that Ella had made the night before. He had the very important job of adding the cream to it and warming it slowly. He was trying to learn how to cook and Ella was very patient with him, leaving exact directions. Even for something as menial as this.

 

“Are we having grilled cheese too?,” Kitty asked curiously.

 

“Absolutely we are,” he assured her, “But we are going to wait until Auntie Ella comes home for that.”

 

“Good,” Kitty said cheekily and he grinned at her.

 

The door opened and he and Kitty tried not to laugh at the state of disarray Ella, Tommy, and Grey Wind entered in. The latter was covered in snow, having very clearly rolled around in it right before they left the park, and Tommy and Ella’s cheeks were pink and both of their knees were soaked through as though they’d been bending down to build snow men.

 

He helped Kitty off the counter and immediately started helping Tommy out of his things. Ella cleaned off Grey Wind and the surrounding area before taking her own things off.

 

“Auntie Ella, Auntie Ella!,” Kitty said jumping up and down.

 

“Hi sweet pea,” Ella said with a smile, “I’m so happy you’re here. Jealous though too…can I put on my pajamas and then hug you? I don’t want to get you all wet.”

 

“Okay! Tommy you put on pajamas too - it’ll be a pajama PARTY!,” Kitty said and Tommy was immediately on board.

 

Ella hadn’t yet looked at him and she disappeared into their bedroom. He helped Tommy out of his wet things and into his own footy pajamas and then told the kids to play for a bit. He wanted to ask Tommy how it had gone but he didn’t want to bring too much attention to the situation.

 

He walked down the hall to his and Ella’s bedroom and found her in their closet in her bra and underwear. He went up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She was cold as ice, he could feel her through his sweater, and he pressed his warm lips into her shoulder.

 

“How did it go?,” he asked quietly.

 

“Fine…,” she said, “Good. They got along…”

 

With that her shoulders started to shake and he held her to him more tightly. He felt her give up her weight to him and he held her steady, burying his face in the crook of her neck, his hands rubbing her arms in a slow, purposeful pattern.

 

“You aren’t going to lose him Ella,” he promised her.

 

“I know…,” she said, though it kind of seemed like she didn’t.

 

She kissed his arm though and extricated herself. She didn’t bother going to her drawers, instead she pulled one of his wool sweaters off of its hanger and went into his pajama drawer and grabbed a pair of flannel pajama pants. She had to draw the string tightly around her, and they dwarfed her tiny frame but she looked more beautiful than she would have in a gown. She stepped into her slippers and looked him up and down, a small smile on her face.

 

“How did swim lessons go?,” she asked and then her face fell, “Tommy was worried about her.”

 

He grinned, “I’m going to let Kitty tell you all about it.”

 

“Will you put on pajamas too?,” she asked, contented that Kitty was happy, “It’ll be a _pajama party_.”

 

“Sure sweetheart,” he said, “Whatever you want, you know that.”

 

He moved to go to the drawer but she stopped him with a hand to his chest. He looked down at her questioningly and she moved her hands up to his shoulders, hopping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. His arms went around her immediately, supporting her under her butt and holding her back to him as her arms wrapped around his neck.

 

“You’re not going to lose him either,” she whispered. He hadn’t said anything, wasn’t going to say anything. He had been trying to be strong for her, but he wasn’t surprised that she’d seen right through him. She knew him too well, and all of Tommy’s empathy had come from her. “He loves you with his whole heart and it doesn’t matter how many snowmen Harry _fucking_ Hardyng builds, there is never going to be a man that he loves or admires more. You’re his hero, my love. And mine too.”

 

He gripped her tightly and let out a single sob. She whispered soothingly in his ear, her hands stroking his curls the way she would Tommy’s.

 

“I love you, _do you hear me?_ ,” he asked her.

 

“I am as sure of that as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow,” she assured him. “And I love you, I love you, I _love_ you…but I think you added too much cream to the soup.”

 

“I followed your instructions exactly!,” he protested and she pulled back to look at him and grin.

 

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and said, “I’m sure you did, my love.”

 

“Don’t _I’m sure you did, my love_ me. I added one glass of cream!,” he argued.

 

“One cup, Robb,” she said as she got down.

 

“Yes, one!,” he promised.

 

“Measuring cup…,” she said and he looked at her blankly. She gave him an impish grin, “One minute I’ll just go get Kitty so that she can explain it to you.”

 

***

 

“Sleep tight,” she said with a yawn, “I want _you_ to have good dreams,” she said, kissing Tommy’s head, “And I want _you_ to have good dreams,” she said, pressing a kiss to Kitty’s.

 

They were snuggled up in Tommy’s bed, Grey Wind lying at the foot of it, and both of their eyelids were getting heavy already. It was not a moment too soon, she felt as though she might need Robb to carry her to bed the way he’d carried them.

 

“You too Mommy,” Tommy said sweetly.

 

“Night Auntie Ella,” Kitty said turning to Tommy and whispering something in his ear that made him giggle.

 

“You two and your secrets,” she said with a smile and pat Grey Wind’s head, “I’ll grab Daddy okay?”

 

Tommy nodded and she went into the kitchen where Robb was turning on the dishwasher.

 

“They are ready to be blessed,” she said with her eyes closed.

 

Robb chuckled, “Go get into bed, sweetheart,” he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead, “I’ll be there in a minute.”

 

She nodded and walked towards their bed, kicking off her slippers and crawling onto her side. She had expected to fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow but she lay there, her mind as active as ever.

 

She looked down at her ring, marvelling at the contentment she always felt when she looked at it. It wasn’t that it was beautiful, though it was, but it was a part of Robb that was always wrapped around her, always with her. She loved that it had been his mother’s and grandmother’s before that. That generations of Stark women had worn it as they raised their children and supported their husbands.

 

She had never hated Harry Hardyng more than when she looked down at it and felt guilt as well.

 

_“I thought your boyfriend was coming,” Harry said to her as she shut the door after buckling Tommy in._

 

_She opened the door to the driver’s seat and was not surprised that Grey Wind immediately came and sat in her seat, staring at Harry._

 

_“He wanted to, but something came up with our niece,” she said, “He’ll come next time though. He wants to meet you properly.”_

 

_“That sounds delightful,” Harry said sarcastically and she couldn’t help but smile._

 

_“It’s not like that. I told you, we wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t okay with it. But he isn’t just my boyfriend anymore, he’s my fiancé,” she said and internally squealed at the sound of that, “And we think it’s important that we are all on the same page.”_

 

_“Fiancé? He wasn’t your fiancé a week ago,” Harry said._

 

_“Harry…,” she warned._

 

_“I’m sorry but am I suppose to imagine its a coincidence?,” he asked her, “You’re too smart to believe that.”_

 

_“I understand how the timing looks but… there are other factors here…,” she started and trailed off. She didn’t want to get into the adoption now, not with Tommy sitting right in the backseat._

 

_“Yeah factors like me,” Harry scoffed._

 

_She closed her eyes, trying to channel Sansa’s calm exterior. When she opened them there was a different look entirely in Harry’s eyes._

 

_“Myrcella I’m not saying that he doesn’t love you. He would be a fool not to love you and I’m sure he’s not a fool. But… maybe you shouldn’t rush into it. I know I have no right to say it and I wish I had more time to say it…to say it better to…,” he started and Grey Wind started growling behind her. Harry looked at him warily and she wished in that moment that Grey Wind would take a chomp out of him just to keep him from continuing, “_ _I knew how special you were back then and I told myself it didn’t matter, that I didn’t need to settle down, but I was just scared. Girls like you don’t happen. They just don’t, I knew it then and I know it now, and I know I was an ass-“_

 

_“This is not the time for this conversation,” she said, cutting him off and shutting the door because she wasn’t sure who would be legally responsible if Grey Wind did bite him and more importantly she didn’t want Tommy to hear. “I…I don’t think that there is an appropriate time for this conversation but… this certainly isn’t it. Let’s just… take this day as a good first step… for you and_ **_Tommy_ ** _. Please don’t make me regret this, Harry.”_

 

_“Myrcella, fuck I’m… can we just forget about this?,” he asked, “I’ll play by the rules, I’ll even be nice to whats-his-name, okay? Just…I can’t not see him again. You understand that don’t you?”_

 

_She sighed, “Of course I understand that,” he nodded gratefully, letting out a big gust of air. His relief melted her a little bit and she said, “You did good today. Big points for your Olaf impression.”_

 

_“He’s a great kid,” he said, “Thanks… for this and… just thanks. Whats-his-name is a lucky guy.”_

 

_“His name is Robb Stark,” she said, opening the door, “Remember it.”_

 

“I love seeing you wear that,” Robb said to her sweetly as he climbed into bed.

 

She scooted over to him and crawled on top of him.

 

“I’m too tired to make love,” she confessed.

 

“Me too,” he said with a light chuckle, pressing a kiss to her hair.

 

“Am I hurting you?,” she asked.

 

“No, sweetheart,” he said and hugged her to him. “Stay right here all night.”

 

She snuggled in closer, aching for sleep to take her.

 

“Tommy said that Grey Wind doesn’t like him,” he said against her.

 

“Is that such a surprise?,” she asked.

 

“I guess not,” he allowed, “But even still. He said he growled at him while you guys were talking. Did he say something to you?”

 

“Harry Hardyng has always said lots of things,” she evaded, “They are rarely of any consequence.”

 

“I’d like to see for myself,” he said. “Come hell or high water I’m coming with you guys next time.”

 

“Okay,” she nodded.

 

Tommy would feel better with Robb there and so would she. Harry would never say such stupid things in front of Robb.

 

“Did you tell him about the adoption?,” he asked.

 

“No…,” she said, “We didn’t have a lot of time to speak and I wasn’t sure what his reaction would be. I didn’t want to risk it with Tommy there.”

 

“Of course,” he said, stroking her hair, “That makes sense. Maybe we should tell him together.”

 

“Sure sweetheart,” she said with a yawn, “Whatever you want, you know that.”

 

She felt him smile against her and hug her close and she burrowed into him. Everything was better when he was close by. Nothing could touch her when she was in his arms, nothing.

 

Certainly not Harry fucking Hardyng.


	16. Chapter 16

 

The Children’s Museum was overcrowded and chaotic when they arrived at 10 am on Sunday morning. A rare Winter rainstorm had driven everyone indoors and they were all soaked through by the time they got inside.

 

“C-can w-we g-go t-to t-the b-ubble r-room?,” Tommy asked through chattering teeth.

 

“Yeah buddy,” Robb said as Ella removed his soaked hat and mittens before pulling out fresh clothes and sneakers for him from his bag, “We’ve just gotta get you dry first.”

 

Robb bent down to help her redress him and Tommy stuck his hands in the collar of his sweater. They were like little icicles and he yelped causing Tommy to giggle.

 

“You’re warm Daddy,” he said in apology, though he was still giggling, causing Robb to chuckle.

 

“We’re going to get you nice and warm, baby,” Ella promised, pulling a sweatshirt on over his head, her hands stroking up and down his tiny abdomen and blowing hot breath on his ear.

 

“You’re like a dragon,” Tommy told her, lying his head back against her chest and looking up at her, “The blue one from DLT.”

 

Robb chuckled at his use of his shorthand and then at Ella’s best dragon impression, which was admittedly a little wimpy but it made Tommy shriek with laughter anyway.

 

“Uh oh, you’ve started the fun without me!,” a man’s voice said and the three of them turned in tandem to see Harry Hardyng.

 

He looked annoyingly dapper in his navy blue turtleneck and trench coat, though, Robb had to admit, pretty cold. Northern rain was nothing like Southern and Harry seemed like the kind of guy who would forgo warmth for the look. Or the _aesthetic_ as Shireen had taught him the other night when she made Theon take multiple pictures in front of the fire at Winterfell.

 

“Mommy’s a dragon, Harry!,” Tommy explained.

 

“She is?!,” Harry said, “She’s the prettiest dragon _I’ve_ ever seen.”

 

Robb saw Ella glare at him but Tommy scrambled over and said, “Have you seen lots of dragons?”

 

“Oh tons,” Harry nodded, “They are all over the place down South. Hey are there any cold dragons here that would like a vanilla latte?”

 

He pulled out a takeaway cup from the cup holder he had in his hands and offered it. Ella’s eyes sparked but she shoved Tommy’s wet clothes in a plastic bag and then into his backpack, clearly not making any moves towards him.

 

Robb gave her a look but she ignored him so he stood up and said, “Ah yeah I think I know just the one,” and took it from him before handing it to her.

 

“I just got you black,” Harry said to him, “Wasn’t sure how you take it.”

 

“As is and gratefully,” he said honestly, taking it from him then offering his hand, “I’m Robb Stark.”

 

He was childishly pleased that Harry’s hand felt a little small in his when he shook it saying, “Harry Hardyng.”

 

With that he made himself a hit by proffering a small cup of hot cocoa for Tommy and suggesting they all check out the bubble room.

 

“Come on Daddy!,” Tommy said to him cheerfully, holding out his hand to him.

 

Robb couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show Harry the way of things so he stepped forward and took Tommy’s little hand in his. His son pulled him forward towards the bubble room and away from Harry and Ella who were following behind.

 

***

 

“So is that as good as Landing Roast’s?,” Harry asked, naming her favorite coffee shop in the South.

 

She hadn’t thought about that place in years but her mouth watered just at it’s name. She could smell the fresh bread baking and feel the warm sunlight peaking through the glass, hear the indie playlist they always had on.

 

“Nothing will _ever_ be as good as Landing Roast’s,” she vowed solemnly and he chuckled, causing her to smile in spite of herself.

 

She took a sip of her latte, which was still admittedly very good, and warm, so warm, as they followed behind Tommy and Robb. She loved watching them together, her son’s little hand in Robb’s big one, looking up at Robb with such unadulterated admiration.

 

“Look I should apologise,” Harry said and she reluctantly tore her eyes away from her boys. She had no intention of making this easier on him so she simply raised her eyebrow and waited for him to continue. “The engagement… caught me off guard.”

 

She sighed, knowing that she hadn’t delivered the news with any sort of care for his feelings. It wasn’t like her, and she didn’t like that he could turn her into that sort of person.

 

“I could have handled that better,” she admitted. “I just…” she started and then a little girl ran in between them. She pulled him over to the side so that they’d be out of the way and said, “Raising him on my own, after everything that happened down South… I had to get really good at establishing boundaries.”

 

“I get it,” he said, and it seemed like he really did. He had a penchant for lying but she was smarter now than she had been then, and she wasn’t infatuated with him, she saw him for who he was. “Look my focus is Tommy and anything that… anything else doesn’t matter. Right?”

 

She had delivered the same kinds of speeches to Shireen when her cousin would suggest she should put herself out there more, the same kinds of conversations with men who tried to hit on her. It had been her speech for the past four years and now he was stealing her lines.

 

“Right,” she said and nodded. It went both ways, it had to. If he could do what was best for Tommy, then so could she, so she could be nice to him. “Did you hear that Landing Roast closed?”

 

“No way!,” he groaned, “Cap’s did too, did you hear?”

 

With that they followed Robb and Tommy to the bubble room, moaning about the lobster rolls they could no longer get.

 

***

 

In the end, it wasn’t such a bad time. The only hard part was when he’d excused himself to use the restroom and come out to find Harry, Tommy and Ella dancing goofily against a green screen, Tommy shrieking with laughter when he saw himself in a cartoon world.

 

They looked like such a family, and it was especially clear when all three of them were together what a perfect blend Tommy was of them. His every feature could be found in one of them, down to Ella’s eyelashes. He knew that Tommy didn’t realise it, didn’t think about it, and when he’d returned he’d jumped right into his arms and then said, “Dance with us Mommy,” just like he would in their apartment or at Winterfell.

 

He hated himself for wanting Harry to be a bad guy. He’d known guys like Harry all his life, hell on the surface, Theon was a guy like Harry, so he knew the type. He might not be a _saint_ exactly, Robb had seen more than one girl’s name flash on his phone screen, but he was friendly and nice to Tommy - and really, what else mattered beyond that?

 

The rain had stopped by the time they left and Harry walked back to the car with them, holding the new teddy bear he’d bought Tommy despite Ella’s protestations. He handed it to Tommy and high fived him goodbye and then got out of Ella’s way so that she could buckle him in.

 

“So uh…I hear congratulations are in order?,” Harry asked.

 

“Oh…thanks, yeah,” he said with a smile, still not quite believing that Ella had agreed to be his forever.

 

“You’re a lucky fucker, I’ll tell you that much,” Harry said with a sigh.

 

Robb chuckled, he couldn’t deny it. “I am at that.”

 

With that Harry’s friendly demeanour changed and he said in a low voice, “Just remember that it all could have been mine. She wouldn’t have even _seen_ you.”

 

Robb turned to him, a grin still on his face, “Why don’t _you_ remember that. You’re the guy that won the lottery and _threw away_ the ticket. Don’t blame me for finding it.”

 

Ella closed the door and turned to them with a bright smile, clearly not having heard their conversation and asked, “All good?”

 

“All good,” they chorused and Robb fought the urge to glare at Harry.

 

“I’ll see you and Tommy for dinner on Wednesday?,” Harry asked her, very pointedly not inviting him. It was just as well, he’d be traveling for business anyway midweek.

 

“Sounds great, think you can sneak out around five? We like to eat with the birds,” Ella said.

 

“Tweet, tweet,” Harry said, causing Ella to let out her infectious giggle.

 

She was so fucking cute and he hated that it was Harry making her laugh. That was his job.

 

“Well bye Harry,” Ella said with a small wave, all but dismissing him, and turned to him, “Will you take us to that record store, handsome? Tommy’s been asking to go and I don’t know where it is.”

 

“Sure sweetheart,” he said, pulling her to him. Harry wasn’t out of earshot and he saw him turn out of the corner of his eye, so he tilted her chin up to him, pressing a kiss to her waiting lips, “Whatever you want. You know that.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally typed Robb saying "You're the guy that won the lottery and threw away the ticket. Die mad about it." but then had to stop myself. Nevertheless, that was the energy there. 
> 
> They did not tell Harry about the adoption. Wonder how that will go over? And his dinner with Ella? Hmm... 
> 
> Hopefully more this weekend!


	17. Chapter 17

 

Wednesday evening rolled around quicker than she would have expected. Robb had been away on business, and she hadn’t seen him since Monday, and she and Tommy had been keeping themselves occupied to distract themselves from missing him.

 

On Monday they had dinner at Winterfell, bringing Grey Wind so that he could see Lady, Ghost and Shaggydog and so that he wouldn’t be alone. They had ended up staying the night because Tommy had fallen asleep practically in his plate and Sansa had pulled her into living room in front of the fire and pulled out bridal magazines that had already been dog-eared.

 

_“Sansa we’ve only been engaged for couple of weeks, you’ve already done all this?,” Ella asked, flipping from one page to the next._

 

_She felt inadequate, she and Robb hadn’t even set a date yet._

 

_Quite frankly, she had been considering before tonight just going to down to City Hall. They were already married in all of the ways that truly mattered and after the massive affairs she had grown up going to, with $500 per plate price tags and celebrity djs, she had been turned off from the whole thing - particularly when she saw how many of those flashy weddings ended in ugly and public divorces._

 

_But her wedding to Robb wasn’t going to be like that. They could keep it simple, but she realised as Sansa and she curled up under a blanket that there was no version of the day that would be complete without the Starks and Shireen, Theon, Gendry, Jojen. It could just be them, and Nan, and maybe a few others, just like a big dinner party, but her family had grown so much in the last year and now she couldn’t imagine pledging herself to someone without them all there. They had already been so much a part of her and Robb’s love story, it wouldn’t feel right not to celebrate with them._

 

_“Oh no, I’ve been looking at magazine’s for Arya and Gendry and have just been saving the ones that have things I like for you for the past few months,” Sansa said, as though it were obvious, flipping to another page and oohing when she saw a beautiful bouquet._

 

_“The past few MONTHS?,” Ella asked._

 

_Sansa looked up at her and smiled sympathetically, “There was no version of this story in which Robb wasn’t going to ask you to be his forever, El. He has loved you since the first day he met you, I’m not even sure that he realised it then, but it was so obvious. You changed him immediately. Not his character or his disposition - he has always been a prince among men, always - but his centre of gravity. You and Tommy became the epicentre of his world so radically that it was only a matter of time before we got here,” she said and then picked up her hand, “And I want you to know that… I’m so happy we did. I love you for how happy you make him, he deserves it more than anyone but selfishly, I feel so lucky… we…get to be sisters…”_

 

_“Sisters,” Ella said with tears in her eyes, wrapping her arms around Sansa._

 

The tears hadn’t ended there. There had been something wrong with the heat in her guest room (Tommy was staying in Robb’s room with Grey Wind _Just like Daddy_ ) and Jon had come in to fix it.

 

_“How did you get so handy?,” she asked._

 

_She’d gotten familiar with a hammer and even a screwdriver, but he seemed to know exactly what to do._

 

_“Ned taught me along with Robb,” Jon said with a grin, “Every Sunday he’d teach us something different.”_

 

_“I’m sorry,” she said with a shake of her head._

 

_“For what?,” he asked curiously._

 

_“You lost him too. I wish I had met him…seeing the men you and Robb are - he must have been exactly as extraordinary as you all say,” she told him._

 

_He didn’t exactly smile, but his eyes crinkled at the sides, which she’d learned over the past months meant more._

 

 _“He would have_ loved _you. He was the strongest man I knew but was a total Northern fool when it came to his girls. He would have made you call him Dad way too early and would have dropped by randomly to fix things and with these cider donuts he always used to get at this old orchard off the highway. He would have made you feel like there was nothing he wouldn’t do for you - because there wouldn’t have been,” he said._

 

_“You know Jon…,” she said, “He sounds just like you.”_

 

_“No I….,” Jon started shaking his head._

 

_“Do you remember the night my apartment was broken into?,” she asked._

 

_“I could live a hundred lifetimes and never forget that,” he told her._

 

_“I remember Robb hugging Tommy, and how I’d never been happier to see him than Iwas in that moment, and then I remember you pulling me into your arms and I just… could breath again. Because you were there - nothing bad could happen to us,” she said trying to get the words out right, “I guess what I’m trying to say is - I may never get a chance to know Ned Stark, but he’s my hero still, because he gave me you,” she said and thought of all the Stark children, “He gave me all of you.”_

 

_“Who is going to walk you down the aisle?,” he asked._

 

_She hadn’t really thought about it, she didn’t have any male relatives that she was in touch with. She shrugged, “I don’t know.”_

 

_“If you… could… would you consider me?,” he asked her._

 

_Tears flooded her eyes once again, and she smiled, “You want to give me away?”_

 

_“Never,” he shook his head, “But I’d like to stand by your side as you marry the only man I can imagine being worthy of you.”_

 

_She let out a tearful laugh and jumped into his arms and he held her there, like he’d hold onto her forever, like there wasn’t a single thing he wouldn’t do for her - because there wasn’t._

 

Tuesday they had been on their own and had had a sleepover for old time’s sake, Tommy crawling into her and Robb’s big bed. They were joined by Grey Wind who slept burrowed against them, placing himself on the side of the bed closest to the door. She had long learned that this devotion was just a part of him, just like his master. It was exacerbated by Robb being gone. Grey Wind would kill for Robb, die for Robb, he was a loyal beast, but he trusted Robb - a brother in arms - to keep them safe. She and Tommy were his charges and she knew that the mouth that only revealed a soft wet tongue to lick them or gingerly excepted food off of a spoon would turn vicious in seconds if they were threatened.

 

Tommy accepted it as a matter of rote and the wolf and boy were inseparable. Tommy would simply stand and say _Come on boy_ and the wolf would do exactly that, hopping up on the bed or getting on the floor to sit with him as he played.

 

So that, perhaps was why, when Harry dropped them off after dinner on Wednesday night, carrying in their things as Ella carried a sleeping Tommy, Grey Wind stuck himself in the entrance to Tommy’s room, fangs bared at Harry as Ella got Tommy ready for bed.

 

“Is he like…legal?,” Harry asked from the kitchen.

 

“Of course he is,” Ella said, “He’s totally domesticated, here, watch: Grey Wind - Tommy.”

 

With that Grey Wind retracted immediately and hopped up on the bed, covering Tommy completely. She scratched his head and kissed his snout, saying in a soft voice so that Harry couldn’t hear _Good boy, stay with him._

 

With that she closed the door to Tommy’s room, hearing only a small protest from Grey Wind and went to grab the things Harry still held in his hands.

 

They’d had an enjoyable dinner. Tommy was starting to like Harry, who for his part, seemed to be trying his best. It was obvious he hadn’t spent a lot of time around kids, but he seemed to _want_ it to work at least.

 

When she went to grab the things though he picked up her left hand.

 

“Didn’t exactly break the bank on this one, did he?,” he asked, gesturing to her ring.

 

She snatched her hand away, furious.

 

“This is a family heirloom and it is the _most_ beautiful ring I can imagine, and he could have given me a rubber band and it wouldn’t have made one bit of a difference,” she said.

 

She didn’t add that the diamond on her finger was incredibly rare, having been one of only a handful to be used by a prominent jeweller centuries ago, and that the others of its kind now rested in museums. Because it didn’t matter. She would have taken that rubber band and worn it proudly every day for the rest of her life if it was a symbol that she belonged to Robb Stark and he to her.

 

“Don’t you think you are rushing into this?,” he asked her, “It’s only been a couple of months.”

 

“It has been more than a couple of months and while I will grant you it has not been the longest courtship it doesn’t matter - when you know you know,” she said.

 

It was so obvious to everyone around them that she and Robb were meant to be that nobody had questioned the timing. She knew it was rather fast, and she at times couldn’t quite believe that the measured Ella Baratheon had succumbed to love so quickly, but fighting it was like trying to fight the tide - exhausting and futile. She, the girl who overthought everything, hadn’t questioned Robb since she’d made the decision to trust him. He had never given her reason to do so and she did not make promises lightly. She believed him at his word that it was forever because Robb Stark never lied.

 

“And what if I hadn’t been such an ass when we were younger?,” Harry asked, “What if I’d…”

 

“But you didn’t,” she said shaking her head and stepping away from him, “You _didn’t_. You didn’t want me then and you only want me now because you’re spoiled and you’ve never been denied a thing in your life.”

 

“Is that what you think of me?,” he asked her, hurt in his eyes, “You think I just want you because someone else has you? More importantly - is that what you think of _yourself_?”

 

“Harry,” she said, putting her hand out in front of her and backing away as he stepped forward, “Don’t do this. Think of Tommy.”

 

“I _am_ thinking of Tommy. He and you are _all_ I think about - and I’m not about to sit here and let some other guy just _live my life!_ ,” he said and then he had her in his arms. “We could be a family, the three of us, the way we were always meant to be.”

 

She tried to wrestle free but he was too big, too strong, and too determined. He grabbed her and kissed her as though he could convince her better that way.

 

It was that kiss that gave her more strength than she knew she had. She pushed away from him, putting distance between them.

 

“How _could_ you?,” she railed at him, trying to keep her voice down so as not to wake Tommy, “Is that what you do when a girl tells you no? You just kiss her anyway? If so then I was too kind when I called you merely spoiled!”

 

“El-,” he started.

 

“No! GET OUT! NOW,” she said, shaking she was so angry.

 

“Please,” he said, starting to walk towards her.

 

She drew herself up to her full height, jutting her chin forward and he stopped in his tracks.

 

“Leave, Harry, _now_ , or I will let Grey Wind _show_ you out the way he has been dying to since he first met you,” she seethed.

 

She had no illusions that he had come to his senses, she knew he wouldn’t. He was not a boy easily swayed by reason or the wants of others. Self-preservation though, boys like Harry had that in large supply.

 

He shook his head and ambled out, closing the door behind him. The apartment was a fortress, but even still she went and did the latch, remembering the years of living in the little apartment with Tommy with it’s three locks and the noisy neighbors. In all her time there she had never felt so vulnerable.

 

She went into Tommy’s room, not even bothering to change into her pajamas and kicked off her shoes, crawling into his twin bed. Grey Wind had been at the door when she came, either sensing her fear or hearing them arguing, and hopped up once again, covering her and Tommy both.

 

She missed Robb, and for the first time, she missed who she had been before she had met him. That girl didn’t need anybody, so when she was alone, it didn’t quite feel like it. Now though, she felt his absence like the very life had been sucked from her.

 

She pulled her phone out and there were two messages from him:

 

_Just finished up dinner with the Karstarks. Looks like the deal is going to go through. Give Tommy a kiss goodnight for me._

 

_I’m going to head to the gym, can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I’ll come home right from the airport and be there with you guys for dinner. I miss you sweetheart, I can’t tell you how much I miss you both. I love you, my darling girl._

 

She hugged Grey Wind to her tightly, burying her face in his fur, calming her restless heart.

 

_Congratulations on the Karstark deal - they never stood a chance! Travel safe, my love, you have our hearts with you._

 

***

 

His flight had gotten in early but he had waited ages for his baggage and then couldn’t find a taxi. Alys had offered to arrange a car but it seemed like such a waste. Traffic had been at a standstill seemingly the entire way home and he felt road weary by the time he reached his lobby. He knew he was being dramatic but he hadn’t seen Ella or Tommy since Monday morning as he kissed them goodbye and he couldn’t wait another second.

 

He took the elevator up to the top floor and burst in the front door.

 

“DADDY YOU’RE HOME!!!!!!,” Tommy cried, running towards him.

 

Robb dropped his stuff and crossed the remaining distance, reaching for Tommy as his little boy jumped into his arms.

 

“Daddy Daddy Daddy Daddy,” he was saying as his little arms wrapped around his neck.

 

Robb held him tightly, breathing in the smell of his shampoo and wondering if it was possible that he’d grown in three days, “I missed you, son.”

 

“I missed you too!,” he said, “Will you read to me tonight?”

 

“Of course I will,” he promised, “Two - no three books,” he said and Tommy giggled, “But first…”

 

With that he shifted Tommy and found Ella looking at the pair of them. She looked stunning but almost nervous and he wordlessly opened his other arm to her.

 

She was in it in a second, hugging him around the waist. He had missed her, so much that he couldn’t think straight, and he kissed her hair, wrapping his arm around her.

 

She leaned her cheek against his chest and hugged him tight, gripping him almost harshly. He kissed Tommy’s head and said “Why don’t you go wash up for dinner, buddy?” and let Tommy slide out of his grasp.

 

When Tommy disappeared he placed his hand under her chin and tilted it up so she’d look at him.

 

“Are you alright, sweetheart?,” he asked her.

 

She nodded but she wouldn’t quite look him in the eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes and leaned her cheek against his chest again.

 

“I’m just happy you’re home,” she said.

 

“Me too, sweetheart,” he said, hugging her tight.

 

He was sure it wasn’t the end of it, sure that she wasn’t telling him something, but he’d learned after half a dozen fights that he couldn’t push her before she was ready. His need to problem solve butt against her need to process, so he’d learned to let her come to him in her own time.

 

*

 

They had a delicious dinner, Tommy had so much to tell him - it was unbelievable how much could happen in a four year old’s life in four days - and before he knew it he was tucking him in for bed after just having read _four_ stories.

 

“Alright, son, are you ready for our blessing?,” he asked.

 

He wasn’t entirely certain how the tradition had started but without fail, every night they found themselves here. He cherished it, something that only him and Tommy shared, and he hoped that he would never grow out of it. Maybe it would give way to something different as he grew older, but he thought of Tommy in high school, and hoped that he’d never mind checking in with his dad at the end of the day.

 

“Mmhm,” Tommy said dutifully, “Mommy first,” he said, as always.

 

“Okay, what do we wish for her?,” Robb asked him.

 

“Lots of peyunees and vanilla lottys and happy dreams and you,” Tommy said and Robb’s heart broke.

 

“Me?,” Robb asked.

 

Tommy nodded, “You’re her favourite thing.”

 

“ _You_ are her favourite thing,” Robb assured him.

 

“She loves me best,” Tommy agreed, “But she is sad when you aren’t here - she plays pretend that she isn’t but she is. I am too, but I’m a big boy and I know you’ll come back.”

 

“Always, son,” he promised, kissing his sandy curls. “I’ll always come back. Now who else?”

 

They went down the list, there was Grey Wind and all the other wolves, Auntie Sansa and Uncle Jon, Auntie Arya, Uncle Gendry, Uncle Rickon, Uncle Bran, Jojen, Auntie Shireen and Theon - who was his _friend_ , but not quite grown up enough to be his uncle - and Kitty got a big one, and so did the baby growing in Auntie Sansa’s tummy. There was Nanny Mordane and their mailman who always had a lollypop for him.

 

Ever since the first snowy playdate, Robb always asked, “Anyone else, buddy?”

 

And as always Tommy said, “Nope, that’s it.”

 

Robb hated himself for being relieved. He figured it was only a matter of time before Harry was added to the list, and knew that he would have to merely smile and nod and ask him what he hoped for Harry as though his insides weren’t revolting. But even on the nights that Tommy had seen Harry, he was never mentioned.

 

Robb nodded and kissed him goodnight, patting Grey Wind’s head and then turning out the light and closing the door.

 

Ella was unloading the dishwasher and he went up behind her as she put a glass in the cupboard. She looked so gorgeous in her soft grey sweater and flannel pajamas and he hadn’t just missed her he had _yearned_ for her, so he pulled her close. He was already hard and he wanted her right that minute.

 

“Come to bed, sweetheart,” he said, “Leave that for the morning,” he said kissing her neck. She let her head fall back against his chest, and his hands wandered under her sweater, holding her flat stomach, wandering up, “I’ve been wanting you since you kissed me goodbye on Monday morning.”

 

“ _Robb_ ,” she sighed and he spun her, “Wait.”

 

“I’ve _been_ waiting,” he protested good-naturedly, but didn’t kiss her like he wanted to. He wondered if she was finally ready to talk about whatever it was she had been holding away. He tilted her chin up to him, and it was like a bucket of cold water when he saw the tears and fear in her eyes, “Sweetheart? What is it? What’s wrong? I was just kidding we - we don’t have to - I didn’t mean to push, I’m so sorry.”

 

“Please don’t apologise to me,” she said, shaking her head, “I can’t bear it. Not after…”

 

“After?,” he asked, his blood running cold, “After what?”

 

“There’s something I have to tell you,” she told him, and for the first time ever he saw goodbye in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how much you all hate Harry. I hate him too - especially now.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't wait! 
> 
> ; In which Robb and Ella "talk about it"

Robb had only solemnly nodded at her, a lump in his throat. The edges of his eyes were already tinged and red and she hadn’t even told him anything. It was like he _knew_.

 

How could she be surprised? He knew her better than anyone - saw her, noticed her, loved her better than anyone - of course he knew.

 

She led him into the bedroom, down the long hall away from Tommy’s room, so in case he shouted at her or put his fist through the wall, Tommy wouldn’t hear. Grey Wind would, but he knew as well as she did that Robb would never hurt _her_. She could pull a knife out of the drawer and stab him and he still wouldn’t raise a hand to her.

 

She closed the door and sat on the bed. Robb sat with her, though he wasn’t touching her.

 

_He always tells you that you’re brave, be brave now._

 

“Last night,” she told him, “Harry took Tommy and I out to dinner.”

 

Robb nodded at her, because he knew that.

 

“When he brought us home, I put Tommy down immediately because he was already sleeping and when I came out…,” she said, losing her nerve and trailing off.

 

“Ella, sweetheart, you’re killing me…,” Robb said, his eyes not even on her just focused oddly on the wall, his body rigid.

 

“He… got angry… about the engagement…,” she said, “And…he kissed me.”

 

Robb put his head in his hands. She wanted to hold him, or rub his back, stroke her hand through his hair, anything. She wanted to talk, to tell him that it didn’t matter, that she hated anyone else kissing her and that she’d made that very clear, but she didn’t. She thought of how early on Robb had tried to push her to talk before she was ready, eager to fix anything, _everything_ for her and how he had learned not to do that, to give her the time to process. She had never been on _this_ side of it. Robb was always incredibly loquacious, he preferred to talk things out. She realised now why he’d been so eager, it was torture.

 

She went to reach for him but in that moment he turned and pulled her into his arms.

 

“I am so sorry, sweetheart,” he said.

 

“You’re _what_?,” she asked incredulously.

 

“I should never have left you alone with him,” he was saying, kissing her temple, stroking her hair and back, “I knew he was angry about the engagement…he said something to me at the Children’s Museum on Sunday… he said that my life with you and Tommy could have been his. I… fuck El I taunted him about it… I am _so_ sorry. I didn’t think I just couldn’t resist rubbing it in his stupid fucking face but if I’d known…”

 

“Robb, shh, shh,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, “You couldn’t have known, okay? And don’t you even want to ask if I kissed him back?”

 

“Why would I need to do that?,” he asked her, cupping her cheek, “If you had kissed him back you would have said _I kissed Harry,_ you wouldn’t transfer any of the blame…more importantly when Harry reentered your life you asked me to have faith in you - I have more faith in you, your integrity, your devotion, your love, than I do in the fact that I am sitting here right now.”

 

She leaned in and kissed him because he was the only man she ever wanted to kiss again.

 

“Did you at least punch him?,” he asked her when they parted.

 

“No,” she said regretfully, “I just shoved him off me and…”

 

“And?,” Robb asked warily, clearly afraid that Harry had done something further.

 

“ThreatenedtosickGreyWindonhim…,” she mumbled.

 

Robb chuckled and kissed her forehead, “That’s my girl.”

 

“Yours,” she confirmed, even though he was laughing, it was important to _her_ that there was no doubt, “Only ever yours.”

 

“Mine,” he agreed, and when he looked up again there was fire in his eyes, “All mine - would you like me to show you?”

 

***

 

He felt her nod against him, her lips parted. He’d learned the signs of her desire very early on, and that was one of them. He’d like to say that he wasn’t thinking of Harry Hardyng just a little bit, but that would be a lie.

 

He stood up off the bed and started unbuttoning his shirt. He watched Ella’s eyes follow his fingers as they moved further and further down, the way she all but jumped when he pulled the hem of his shirt out of his pants harshly, the way she reached her hand out to touch his abs as he let the shirt hit the floor. _He thinks he has a chance with my girl?_ Robb thought petulantly as he unbuckled his belt and Ella kissed his bare stomach.

 

He put his hands on her cheeks, his fingers just threading into her hair as she kissed up and down him. He was her slave, her loyal subject, but she had a submissive streak that they played with sometimes and looking at her sitting before him as he stood towering over her, the idea of another man trying to take what belonged to _him_ floating around them…well tonight seemed like the perfect night for it.

 

He pulled his belt out with a snap and she looked up at him with so much desire in her eyes he nearly came right there. He let his thumb trace her bottom lip, pulling it gently and her tongue flicked against him.

 

“Oh sweetheart,” he said, dragging his thumb out of her mouth, “Do you know what you do to me?,” he asked her, picking up one of her arms gently and taking hold of her hand and pulling it to his hard cock. She grasped him through his pants and he groaned. “Pull it out.”

 

She didn’t waste anytime, pulling down his pants and his boxers and taking him gently in her hand.

 

“I want your mouth,” he told her.

 

She looked up at him and said obediently, “Yes Daddy,” and then took him in her mouth.

 

“That’s a good girl,” he said as she lathered his cock with her tongue.

 

She had a mouth like a vacuum cleaner and he threaded his hands in her hair, watching her pink lips move back and forth on his length. She looked up at him and moaned and his hips jutted forward on their own accord.

 

“Fuck, sweetheart, I’m sorry,” he said, breaking the game. He went to move back but her hands went around him and cupped his ass, holding him to her. “Did you like that?”

 

She mumbled something that sounded like _mmhm_ nodding her head as she moved back and forth on him. He looked down at her and thrust slowly into her mouth. She stilled her movements, but pulled him closer, so he did it again. She moaned on him so he took up a rhythm, not quite as hard or fast as he’d fuck her cunt but with her tongue swirling around him it didn’t matter.

 

“That’s my good girl,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers, “That’s it, oh fuck, sweetheart take it, just like that,” he said, his hips rolling, “You are _all_ mine, god Ella _fuck_ this _mouth,_ you belong to me. No other man will _ever_ touch you again,” he vowed. He rationally understood the irony of laying claim and devotion to her when he was fucking her mouth, but it didn’t matter. Everything between them was tinged in love, and the idea that someone wanted to try to _take her away_ from him was as laughable as it was infuriating, “Not until you banish me from your side. Until then, my love, you. are. _mine._ ”

 

He exploded into her with a cry and she sucked him through it, catching every drop of him. He removed himself slowly from her mouth, nearly ready to collapse. She pressed another kiss to his abdomen and then backed away, turning over on her hands and knees to crawl up and get under the covers.

 

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?,” he growled at her, tugging one leg back.

 

She was a strong little thing but there was no fight in her, no protestation, and she was light as a feather so before he knew it she was laying on her stomach in front of him.

 

He spanked her bottom and said, “Ass up, sweetheart.”

 

She let out a whimper and he chuckled at her. She was in for it and she knew it. She got on her knees and he pulled her pajama pants, _his_ pajama pants down, revealing a plain pair of white cotton panties. He loved her in silk and lace, even better in nothing at all, but there was something about her in these that drove him wild.

 

 _I’ll buy her new ones_ , he thought as he ripped them off of her.

 

He pulled her back further to the edge of the bed, so that her delicate feet hung off the end and got down on his knees on the floor. She was a sight to behold, pink and glistening.

 

He licked up her slit and she let out a moan.

 

“Mmm so wet for me, such a good girl, did you like me fucking your pretty little mouth?,” he asked her.

 

She moaned back against him but that wasn’t what he wanted so he spanked her right cheek.

 

“Good girls answer questions when they are asked them,” he reprimanded.

 

“Yes,” she said and he swatted her again. He would have prompted her, but she was too clever and she knew what he wanted, “Yes Daddy I liked it.”

 

“Mmm that’s my good girl,” he said and ran his tongue over her. He parted her butt cheeks and ran his tongue all the way up. He’d never done it before but he didn’t want there to be a single part of her that he hadn’t kissed, that he hadn’t brought pleasure to. He wanted to _mark_ her everywhere. She let out a gasp, so he did it again, inserting a finger into her waiting cunt.

 

“ _Robb!_ ,” she cried and as much as he loved hearing his name come from her lips like that she wasn’t following the rules so he swatted her again, “ _Daddy,_ please, please.”

 

“What do you need, sweet girl?,” he asked her, his teeth nipping her butt cheek as he teased his finger in and out of her.

 

“ _More_ ,” she whimpered.

 

“More what?,” he asked her though he knew. _More of everything._ He wanted to hear her say it.

 

“Of _you,_ ” she cried, pushing herself back against him, “Please, just _more._ ”

 

“Mmm you can always have more of me, sweetheart,” he promised her, bypassing using two fingers and inserting three instead.

 

She moaned and he felt her stretching around him, and he crooked his fingers inside of her just so. She jutted her hips, letting out a guttural moan and he brought his mouth back to her as well, letting his tongue press against her.

 

“ _Yes, yes_ ,” she cried and he started fucking her hard and fast with his fingers. She was bucking back against them, “Tell me,” she begged, “Tell me who I belong to.”

 

He had gotten hard again from the mere sight of her, the mere taste of her, but her begging brought him to his breaking point and he got off his knees and removed his fingers, shoving into her, keeping the same punishing rhythm.

 

“You belong to _me_ ,” he told her, “This perfect body of yours is _all mine_ , is that clear?”

 

“ _Yes, yes_ ,” she cried, “All yours.”

 

“Mmm this ass is mine,” he said and smacked it, “This cunt is mine,” he said reaching around and stroking her clit. She rolled her hips back against him now and he placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her up so that her back was flush against him. He wrapped an arm around her chest, locking her to him and the fingers of his other hand still strummed her, “And you know what else Ella? You know what else is mine?”

 

She let out a moan, her head falling back against his shoulder.

 

“This heart,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple despite the harshness of his rhythm, his hips snapped into her but he pressed featherlight kisses to her face, “This precious fucking heart.”

 

“It’s yours,” she cried, “It will always be yours. You take it wherever you go, god I love you, I love you so much, every part of you, but… _god Robb I love your cock._ ”

 

“ _Fuck_ sweetheart,” he growled, his fingers dancing over her, “Are you ready to come for me?,” she nodded, “Mmm that’s my good girl, I’m going to make you come in 3, 2,” he said and then pinched her clit lightly.

 

She would have collapsed forward but he held her to him tightly as he released inside of her. She slumped back against him and he fell forward into her.

 

She pulled off her sweater, clearly overheated as he was. He let his hands roam over her, stroking up her sides, cupping her breast. He let it trail down, hovering over her flat stomach.

 

“When are you going to go off your birth control?,” he asked, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

 

“I thought I’d at least try to get through our honeymoon without morning sickness,” she said with a small smile.

 

“Mmm honeymoon, that sounds nice,” he said, “Where should we go?”

 

He could take her to Dorne, or the Summer Isles, maybe even to Braavos depending on how long she wanted to be away.

 

She turned to him and said, “Somewhere with a very big bed.”

 

“Dream bigger, my love,” he said with a grin.

 

“Fine,” she said with a sigh. She had been raised going on _six_ star vacations and he knew she didn’t much care about that sort of thing now, but even still he wanted to spoil her. “Somewhere with a very big bed, and a very _naked_ you.”

 

“Then we might as well stay here,” he said with a grin, tackling her to bed, “Right here, forever.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” she said, reaching up and stroking his hair. Her face turned serious and she said, “I mean it, Robb. I want another baby, and I want us to have a marvellous life together, but if all I had for the rest of my life was you and Tommy in this apartment, day in and day out. If you always rush home from the airport to see me and I always want to make your favorite dinner when you do - I will be the luckiest girl in the world. We can have a nice wedding and go away, but I already have everything I need.”

 

He stroked her cheek with his thumb and smiled down at her, “I know you do, sweetheart, and I love you for it. But I’m not satisfied giving you everything that you need - I want to give you everything that you want. _Whatever you want, sweetheart, you know that_ , don’t you? Don’t you know it by now?”

 

She nodded at him and then smiled, “Fine then I _want_ Kitty as my flower girl and Sansa and I think we should use peonies… I know they are girly but…”

 

He smiled thinking of Tommy’s wish for her so he nodded, “Peonies sound perfect. What else do you want?”

 

He laid down on the bed beside her, turning towards her and she did the same.

 

“Well…. I was thinking that the girls would all wear silver bridesmaids gowns because it will look beautiful on all of them, and Kitty will wear a little white dress - I know she’ll hate it but I think I can convince her,” she said biting her lip, clearly trying to think of a way to outthink a three and a half year old. “And well… Jon offered to give me away, and I understand if you only want him as your best man but I think he can do both? And then I know Sansa won’t let us get away without having a wedding cake but I was thinking for dessert we could…”

 

He listened to her, nodding about table settings and offering his opinion on band versus dj, he agreed with her that June would be perfect, even though neither of them wanted to wait, and that yes it was alright that she had agreed to have it at Winterfell when Sansa suggested it the other night.

 

She asked him if there was anything in particular that he wanted and he assured her that everything she had said sounded perfect, because it did, and none of it really mattered as long as by the end of the day they had said their vows.

 

He didn’t tell her that he only had one other thing of importance, one thing that he _couldn’t_ budge on: That Harry Hardyng was nowhere near it. And that when they did go on their honeymoon, that it was not him who was looking after their son. He wouldn’t ruin it by bringing that up now.

 

“And when we go away, I think we should ask Jon and Sansa to look after Tommy don’t you?,” she asked though, as though she could read his mind. “He’ll be happiest with them and Shireen will just be starting her new job…”

 

“I think that sounds perfect,” he told her honestly.

 

Sansa and Jon would welcome anytime they got to spend with their beloved nephew, and not only because of his calming influence on Kitty.

 

“Now are you sure you don’t have any preference on the food?,” she asked him.

 

“I’d rather think up ideas for the honeymoon…,” he told her lustfully.

 

“Hmm well,” she said thoughtfully. It was his fault for releasing the planning side of her, he knew that. “I’ve never been to White Harbor, is it as charming as people say?”

 

“Not exactly what I had in mind, Ella,” he said, pushing her back gently on the bed.

 

Her eyes sparked in understanding and she smiled ruefully, teasing him by saying, “Well if not White Harbor I hear that Highgarden is lovely at that time of year. What do you think of that?”

 

He chuckled against her skin as he kissed her breasts, kissing his way down her body, “As long as it has a big bed,” he said, settling in between her legs and pulling them over his shoulders, he looked up at her with a grin and said, “And a very naked you.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for myself.

“I thought we were going to the birthday party?,” Tommy asked as they walked into Greyjoy, Greyjoy & Partners.

 

“That’s tomorrow,” Robb reminded him, “While Mommy goes to University with Uncle Jon and Uncle Rickon.

 

After much, _much_ persuading, Robb had convinced Ella to at least consider taking a leave of absence from work come the fall so that she could go back to school. She was the smartest person he knew but because of the timing with Tommy and her need to provide for them, she’d never gotten a chance to finish.

 

_“Robb it isn’t practical - it doesn’t matter,” she said._

 

_“Sweetheart it does matter. I wouldn’t push it if I didn’t think it was something you wanted. You wanted to study Art History and Literature and I completely understand why you stopped but those reasons aren’t factors anymore…,” he reasoned._

 

_“I… don’t like the idea of not contributing,” she said._

 

_“I know that you have been on your own for a while, Ella, and I know you don’t like giving up control-,” he started._

 

_“That’s not what this is about,” she said. He gave her a look and she nodded, a small smile on her face, “Okay fine, maybe just a little.”_

 

_He grinned at her, “Sweetheart, we have enough money that we could both live five lifetimes and neither of us would ever have to work, and if it makes you uncomfortable with me being the sole earner…if you… want a safety net…I’ll transfer half of it to a private account in your name tomorrow. Hell I’ll transfer all of it to a private account in your name tomorrow. Or Tommy’s or whatever you want. I just…hate the idea of you not pursuing something you want because you don’t like the way it looks.”_

 

_He knew that was it, she didn’t like the way the other moms now spoke to her with their fake simpering smiles. As Ella had said with a bitter laugh once, it’s a wonder what a shiny ring and a handsome fiancé could do for a girl. She didn’t like the idea that others might see her as an opportunist, and neither did he. He just wasn’t going to let small minded assholes get in the way of Ella having everything she wanted._

 

_She sighed, and said, “Well… maybe I could take a few courses… maybe in Modern Art, oooh or Naathian lit? Shireen told me that for one of her courses they spent half their class time at the museum…!”_

 

Rickon had been pursued by every University in the country for rugby. He’d made a deal with the Wintertown coach though that if he could give him a full ride, he wouldn’t speak to anyone else. Jon, who’d also played rugby there, was taking Rickon to tour the campus now that the snows were melting, to meet with the coach and the academic advisors, and they’d convinced their future sister-in-law to go with them. 

 

Tommy nodded, contented. They were all playing hooky that day, him, Tommy and Ella, and were going to take Tommy out for a special lunch and to the aquarium after they were done with Theon.

 

“Mr. Stark,” Roslin, Theon’s assistant greeted them and then bent down to coo at Tommy, “And who is this charming fellow?”

 

“I’m Tommy,” he said happily, holding out his little hand for her to shake. Robb was about eighty percent sure that Roslin’s ovaries spontaneously combusted when she took his little hand in hers but she said simply _You can go on in, he’s expecting you._

 

“Well, well, well,” Theon said, “If it isn’t my best friend…,” he said and came over and picked up a laughing Tommy, throwing him up in the air. He settled him on his hip, despite the fact that at least two of his employees were there looking at him as though they weren’t exactly sure what had come over their boss, “Oh and look, you’re here too Robb.”

 

Robb only grinned as Ella stepped forward to kiss Theon’s cheek.

 

“Can we get together to talk about Shireen’s birthday?,” he asked her in a low voice.

 

“Of course we can,” she said with a small smile, “But it isn’t for three more months, you know that right?”

 

“Yeah…I just..,” Theon started.

 

“We’ll talk,” Ella said, squeezing his arm and then turned to his employees, “Hi, I’m Myrcella Baratheon.”

 

“Hi Miss Baratheon,” the two young associates chorused, one of whom looked a little starry eyed.

 

Robb cleared his throat and Theon shot him a knowing smirk and said, “Alright, let’s get down to business. Now Tommy, if you want me to change the document to read my name instead of your Daddy’s we can do that…”

 

Tommy looked up at him, a worried expression on his face, “He’s kidding, son, he’s just kidding.”

 

“Hey what’s wrong with me?,” Theon asked with a chuckle.

 

“Daddy,” Tommy said reaching for him.

 

“Will you stop scaring him?,” Robb asked, grabbing Tommy up and stroking his hair, “Don’t worry buddy, I’ll double check that it’s only my name on there. Nobody else is getting you.”

 

 _“But you_ are _my Daddy,” Tommy said stubbornly._

 

_“I know, buddy,” he said, “But this just makes it… official…”_

 

_“Official?,” Tommy asked, not understanding the word._

 

_“This is just so that everyone else knows what we already know,” Ella said with a reassuring smile, “That way, no matter what happens you can always stay with your Daddy.”_

 

_“What is going to happen?,” Tommy asked curiously._

 

_“Just…,” Ella said, and Robb looked down. She gripped his hand, squeezing it gently, “If I was ever not around, everyone will know that you and your Daddy belong to each other.”_

 

_“But you are staying,” he said firmly._

_“Yeah baby, I’m staying,” she promised._

 

“Okay Daddy,” Tommy said and they all settled in around the small conference table.

 

“So you’ll just sign here,” one of the young associates said to him.

 

The other one hopped up and said, “And you as well Miss Baratheon, here I’ll show you,” he said, pointing out the place directly next to where he’d just signed, which had a sticky note saying _sign here_ next to it.

 

“Dude her fiancé and son are sitting right here,” Theon reprimanded making the young associate blush.

 

“And here,” the other, more businesslike one told him, and Robb signed.

 

_He’s mine, it’s official. He’s mine forever, my perfect boy._

 

Ella turned to him and grinned as she signed the second page. He grinned back at her and she let out a little laugh, leaning over and kissing him. He didn’t care that Theon was there or two young associates, he kissed her back, capturing her excited laugh on his lips.

 

“Baby it’s official!,” she said as they broke apart, picking up Tommy’s little wrists and making him do a cha-cha.

 

Tommy giggled and then looked up at her, “But I need to sign too.”

 

The businesslike associate started to say, “Oh you see, the child doesn’t-,” but stopped when all four adults in the room turned to glare at him. The look on Theon’s face told him that he’d just been passed over for a promotion and the associate blushed.

 

“Here Tommy,” Theon said, pulling a pen out of his breast pocket and undoing the cap for him, “There’s a place for you right in between your parents’,” Theon said and turned back to the first page.

 

“Theon is this-,” Ella asked, clearly worried it would nullify the documents in some way.

 

“There isn’t a judge in the Seven Kingdoms that could overturn this,” Theon assured her, “I _personally_ think it makes these more official.”

 

Shireen really had ruined him. There had always been the hints of a great guy lurking underneath his cocky exterior, he and Jon wouldn’t have been friends with him if that weren’t the case. He’d always been deeply loyal, horribly protective of Sansa and Arya, the first to make a joke to ease the tension, but now, there was a deep and unhidden kindness to him as well.

 

Ella saw it too and grabbed his hand and squeezed it, then turned back to Tommy.

 

“Okay baby, just like we’ve been practicing,” she said, “What’s the first letter?”

 

“T,” Tommy said proudly and drew one with shaky little fingers, “O,” he said and made his way through his first name. He turned to him and said, “How do I spell Stark?”

 

He met Ella’s eyes. They hadn’t talked about it yet. He didn’t care about the look of things, he wasn’t going to pressure her to take his name. He knew that as much as she loved him that she took pride in how she’d raised Tommy in the early years, as she should. He didn’t want to take that away from her, even if he liked the idea of them all having the same last name. _There go the Starks._

 

Ella gave him a small smile and said, “S…T…A…what do you think comes next, baby?”

 

_It doesn’t matter, whatever it is we’ll have each other._

 

***

 

“Rickon…,” Jon said with a chuckle.

 

“Dude it’s her fault!,” Rickon said, pointing at her accusingly, “She made me.”

 

Ella cleared her throat and said, “I did what now?”

 

Rickon looked adorably shamefaced and said, “Okay fine, she _let_ me try it one time and now I’m obsessed and I _will not_ prescribe to the rigid social construct of gender normativeness.”

 

With that he proudly took a sip of his vanilla latte and had a dopey, satisfied smile on his face.

 

“Rigid social construct of gender normativeness,” Jon said, shaking his head, “You’ve been spending too much time with Kitty.”

 

Ella giggled, sipping her own latte. They were stopping at Drip on the way to Wintertown U’s campus and they’d had her in stitches since they’d come to pick her up that morning.

 

“Impossible,” she and Rickon said in tandem and he smiled down at her, throwing his arm around her.

 

They were walking through the coffee shop, discussing where they were going to go first. Rickon wanted to check out the cafeteria, and Jon wanted to show him the library, Ella was dying to go to the on-campus museum that had it’s own little jewel of a collection in addition to the larger city museum.

 

“Ella,” a voice cut into their conversation.

 

She looked up into Harry’s eyes and stopped dead in her tracks. She had been ignoring his calls since Wednesday night, and she and Robb hadn’t even broached the topic of what would come now. She wasn’t sure that she felt right taking Tommy away from him completely, but she wasn’t sure that having everything so informal was a good idea either.

 

“Harry,” she said.

 

Jon tensed at her side. They’d all heard what had happened, and none of them had been very thrilled about him in the first place. She placed a hand on his chest as he made to step forward in front of her.

 

 _I’m a fool_ , she thought as Rickon stepped forward before she could stop him. He had all of the honor and protectiveness of his older brothers and none of the self-control.

 

“Welcome to wolf country, _motherfucker_ ” he sneered and then he punched Harry clean across the jaw.

 

“Rickon!,” she exclaimed as Harry stumbled backwards.

 

He didn’t take long to recover and he started to step forward. Ella put herself in front of Rickon, holding her arms out in front of her.

 

“Stop! Stop he’s just a kid,” she pleaded with Harry.

 

“Yeah well that kid just _decked_ me,” Harry growled, unwisely moving to grab her arm to push her aside.

 

“I dare you,” Jon said calmly, almost taunting, “Go on, _touch_ one of them, see what happens.”

 

Harry looked like he might try to get past him but Jon had stepped in front of her and Rickon both.

 

“Ella,” Harry said, his aggressive stance changing into a defensive one when he saw the intensity of Jon’s gaze. “Just give me a chance…”

 

“No,” Jon argued and Ella tugged his arm so that he wouldn’t get any closer, “You had your chance, you’re like a cat with nine fucking lives and you haven’t deserved a _single_ one of them. She let you back in for the sake of her son, even though I, we all, _begged_ her not to. And then you… think you can _kiss_ her? Hear me and hear me well, if you ever touch my sister without her consent again it’ll be the last thing you do - is that clear?”

 

He was an idiot, a self-aggrandising, prideful, idiot, because he looked at Jon smugly, as smugly as any guy with blood dripping from his lip could look and said, “Yeah and what about when she _does_ consent?”

 

“That will never happen,” she said vehemently. He was delusional, he had to be.

 

“You heard her,” Rickon said, “She doesn’t want you, she’s never going to want you. Die mad about it, bitch.”

 

With that the conversation seemed over so she pushed one and pulled the other towards the exit. They got into the cool spring air and and she felt the tension in her spine start to dissipate. Both Jon and Rickon stayed close, the latter holding onto her coat the way Tommy might.

 

They got to Jon’s car and Rickon let her in the front seat. As they all buckled in, Jon went to turn the key in the ignition and then paused. None of them had really said anything, there was nothing much to say.

 

Finally though, Jon turned to Rickon and said, “ _Wolf country_?”

 

She turned as well with a small smile, “ _Die mad about it_?”

 

“He’s just lucky I didn’t kick his ass further,” Rickon said, not the least bit embarrassed by his bombastic rhetoric. “Nobody fucks with my family.”

 

“You’re right,” Jon said with a nod, turning the key and pulling out of the parking lot, “But so much for not subscribing to the rigid social construct of gender normativeness.”

 

She let out a laugh and sipped her latte. She leaned back in her seat as their chatter filled the car with warmth.

 

“Hey guys?,” she asked as they neared the campus.

 

“Yeah babydoll?,” Rickon asked.

 

“Can one of you guys teach me self-defence?,” she asked.

 

They shared a look in the rearview mirror and she didn’t bother questioning it, letting them discuss whatever they needed to.

 

“Yeah El, we’ll teach you,” Jon said.

 

“Thanks,” she said with a smile, “I don’t think Harry would have hurt me…,” she clarified, “But…,” she thought of a way of articulating it. She hadn’t really talked about it, how vulnerable he’d made her feel, towering over her with her little son in the next room, “I didn’t like my safety being in _his_ power. And as much as I love you guys for defending me - I don’t want you to have to.”

 

“Don’t worry, babydoll,” Rickon promised, “By the time we’re done you’ll be able to gut a man with little more than a nail file.”

 

“A nail file?,” Jon scoffed, “You and your male gaze.”

 

She dissolved into laughter as Rickon and Jon debated the harmful effects of the patriarchy. They both turned to her for support for their arguments and she added in tidbits here and there as they toured the cafeteria, shushing them as they walked through the library. When they got into the museum they peppered her with questions, Rickon didn’t understand the appeal of modern art and favored religious scenes from the 17th century while Jon liked anything abstract. She blew their minds when she pointed to a black and grey abstract work and told them about how it was actually based on a famous altarpiece and by the time they left she’d convinced Rickon to take an Art History course with her come the fall.

 

They arrived back to Winterfell in time for dinner with their family, all thoughts of Harry fucking Hardyng forgotton.

 

She walked into the living room and saw Robb sitting in one of the big armchairs with Kitty and Tommy in his lap.

 

“Auntie Ella!,” she cried, “Come sit with us.”

 

 _Poor Robb,_ she thought as she picked Kitty up so that she could settle into his lap as well.

 

If they were hurting him he didn’t say and she listened all about the wonderful day he, Tommy, Kitty and Sansa had.

 

“But we did have a little incident, didn’t we, kids?,” Robb asked.

 

Tommy looked shamefaced and nodded, “I did a bad thing, Mommy.”

 

“What did you do, baby?,” she asked, finding it hard to believe.

 

“He shoved Russ Bolton,” Kitty told her, “But only because he pulled my braid!”

 

“Baby, you know you shouldn’t shove people,” she said, but then looked at the pair of them. Months ago it would have been the reverse - a kid picking on Tommy and Kitty coming to his defence. They were like a pack of wolves and she couldn’t find it in herself to deter the devotion they had for one another, “But you were right to defend your family.”

 

“I’ll always protect Kitty,” Tommy said simply.

 

She thought of all the men in his life that he’d learn from. Robb and Jon and Bran and Rickon and Theon and Gendry. None of them would let any harm come to their family, none of them would ever stand by while a boy hurt a girl they loved. He’d be raised in their image and while she didn’t want him to rely on physical action to solve all of his problems, she knew it was futile to try and curb it completely.

 

“I know you will, baby. And so does Kitty, isn’t that right, sweet pea?,” she asked, swiping the little girl’s nose.

 

“Yeah… and I’ll always protect Tommy. Like I did today when Russ tackled him,” she said.

 

Ella looked at Robb and he grinned, not even being able to hide the pride he had for his scrappy niece, “He only needed two stitches. He’s going to be fine.”

 

She kissed her niece’s black curls, and whispered in her ear, “Down with the patriarchy.”

 

“Girl power!,” Kitty exclaimed back.

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi ya'll - sorry it's taken me a while to get back to this one. I reread the whole story to get inspiration.
> 
> I don't go into the Harry of it all in this chapter. There will be more of him to come and he's mentioned in these but I wanted this chapter not to be about him. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

As the days turned warmer the entire extended Stark family was deep in preparations for Arya and Gendry’s wedding. There’s would be the end of May, a month to the day before her and Robb’s and Winterfell was taken over completely by the madness.

 

“El, have you seen Sansa?,” Gendry asked.

 

She was sitting on the floor of the living room stuffing welcome baskets for guests that would be staying in the hotel and had been on her own for the past little bit.

 

“I think she went to lie down,” she told him. As the wedding grew closer, so did Sansa’s due date and Ella was really beginning to regret agreeing to have the wedding at Winterfell. If everything went according to plan, her nephew would be three weeks old as they said their vows and while she could think of nowhere better to tie herself to Robb she would have rather not put more on Sansa and Jon at the moment. Gendry nodded and shifted so she asked, “Is there something that I could help you with?”

 

“Yeah!,” he said his whole face lighting up, “Would you take a drive with me?”

 

“Of course,” she nodded happily. They got along really well but hardly ever spent time together one on one. “I just have to tell Robb to listen for Tommy,” she said, her son and niece were also napping.

 

He helped her up and she ran out to where Robb and Jon were in the garage.

 

“Hey sweetheart,” Robb said with his easy smile and her mouth went dry.

 

He was shirtless and sweaty and dirty, he and Jon had been doing work in the lawn because Sansa didn’t trust the landscapers not to trim the hedges too much and no one was going to argue with her in her current state.

 

He looked so _manly_ , the sweat and dirt making his muscles even more apparent. He hadn’t shaved in a few days and she just wanted him to messy her up all over.

 

“You alright, sweetheart?,” Robb asked with a grin, “You look parched.”

 

Jon looked at her and chuckled, “I swear to god every rich girl from here to Dorne has the gardener fantasy.”

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she protested, “I’m going somewhere with Gendry, can you listen for Tommy and Kitty?”

 

“We’ve got them,” Jon nodded, “Where are you guys heading?”

 

“I don’t know…,” she shrugged, “Probably to buy more flannel shirts.” They chuckled, Gendry’s flannel obsession was the cause of constant ribbing in the Stark family. “Oh and Robb?,” she asked.

 

“Yeah sweetheart?,” he said and now he was holding an enormous bag of mulch like he was trying to torture her.

 

“Don’t shower before I get home,” she said and then ran away to the sound of Jon chuckling and Robb groaning.

 

She met Gendry in the courtyard and he helped her up into his truck and drove slowly down the long drive.

 

“So, where are you taking me Waters?,” she asked as she rolled the window down, relishing in the spring breeze.

 

“You’ll see,” he said with a grin. She smiled back because it didn’t much matter, “Thanks for all your help by the way… I swear to god Arya can’t choose anything now without your opinion. I know it’s been a lot…”

 

“I’m happy to do it,” she said honestly, “You guys are family. I’m just grateful you’re letting me be such a part of things.”

 

“You’re family,” he repeated back with the same ease with which Rickon or Jon said it.

 

“Tell me about yours,” she asked, “I feel like I don’t know much.”

 

“Not much to tell really,” he told her, his eyes on the road, “Just me and my Mum. She’s from down south originally but uh… something, I don’t know, something happened when I was younger and she moved up here. As far as I know her family’s gone.”

 

“And your…,” she started and trailed off. She never spoke about her family, it wasn’t right to pry about someone else’s.

 

“My dear old dad?,” he asked with a grin, “He’d lost interest before the strip turned pink.”

 

She remembered her conversation with Robb the night they’d gotten together. She’d used the same phrase then and she looked over at him.

 

“Is that why you were so opposed to Harry?,” she asked.

 

None of the Starks were on board with Harry being a part of the picture, with the exception of Sansa who had only said _Be careful, love, and know that I’m here no matter what_. She’d been surprised though when Gendry had been just as adamantly opposed as Jon, nearly even as bombastic as Rickon.

 

“Oh… huh… I guess I never thought about that,” Gendry said with a grin, “Honestly not consciously… All I knew is that he’d hurt you. It doesn’t take anymore than that to secure someone’s place on my shit list.”

 

She smiled and went to say something further but stopped as he pulled the car down a driveway.

 

It wasn’t quite as long as the one to Winterfell but it had apple trees lining the way and the air smelled sweet on the short ride. He stopped in front of a two story white colonial with dark green shutters and a wraparound porch. She wondered if they were meeting someone here, there were a lot of craftsman in the area and she and Robb had already commissioned them a dining room table.

 

She hopped out of the car and he turned to her and said, “So, what do you think?”

 

“Of what?,” she asked.

 

“The house, silly,” he said, tugging gently on her ponytail.

 

“Oh!,” she said and turned back to it and couldn’t help but smile when she realised why they were really here, “I think Arya will love it.”

 

“Really?,” he asked her eagerly.

 

“Really,” she nodded vehemently. It was charm itself, and though smaller than Winterfell had more than enough space for them and a few kids when the time was right. “You can’t live in this house and not be happy, it’s just not possible.”

 

“That’s what I thought!,” he said and grabbed her hand, “Come on I’ll give you the tour.”

 

He grabbed keys out of his pocket and brought her up to the front door and let her in. It was gracious inside and though she knew they’d want to decorate it to their own taste they would have no problem moving right in.

 

“Gendry,” she said, “If you don’t buy this house then Robb and I will.”

 

He chuckled, “I thought Robb wanted fifteen bedrooms for all the kids you are going to have?”

 

She laughed, “He’s writing checks my body is _not_ cashing, that’s for sure. But I mean it - this house has to be in the family. It just has to.”

 

“It is,” he said sheepishly, “I gave the downpayment yesterday.”

 

“So why am I here?,” she asked curiously.

 

“To confirm that Arya will not kill me for doing so without asking her,” he said.

 

She laughed, “Well I can’t guarantee _that_ one, but she’s going to love it.”

 

He grinned and took his fist and shucked softly under her chin. She felt her knees buckle.

 

_“Daddy guess what?,” she said as she ran into his office._

 

_She was still in her ballet clothes, having just come in from rehearsal._

 

_“Tell me, baby,” her father said, drawing her up into his lap._

 

_She was ten, too old for it, but he was never around so she didn’t really mind. He’d been gone for weeks at a time recently but had been home for the past few days and she couldn’t believe how much she missed him. She should have been used to it by now._

 

_“I’m going to dance the lead! I’m the black swan!,” she said._

 

_He grinned, “Of cooourse you are. No daughter of mine is dancing in the back waving a damn rose to and fro.”_

 

_She giggled. He was so brash and crude but his blue eyes sparkled with mischief and pride and she knew he was happy._

 

_“Will you be able to come?,” she asked._

 

_“I’ll be there, don’t you fret, baby,” he said, “I wouldn’t leave you alone with those golden haired monsters.”_

 

_“I have golden hair,” she said in concern, “Am I a monster?”_

 

_“Well I don’t know about that,” he said, “Are you very ferocious?”_

 

_GRRRR she said and broke into a giggle halfway through._

 

_“No,” he said, “You’re not a monster. You’re my little doe, and I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”_

 

_He shucked her under her chin, the way he always did when she got in a fight with Joffrey or a tongue lashing from her mother, and she beamed up at him. She collapsed against his chest, so much fuller than it had been even a year before, and he wrapped his arms around her._

 

_Three weeks later he was dead._

 

“El?,” Gendry asked in concern, grabbing hold of her arms.

 

“I…I’m sorry… I didn’t eat lunch, I think I just got a little lightheaded,” she said.

 

His blue eyes, those familiar blue eyes looked down at her and he nodded, “Come on, little one, let’s get you back.”

 

He walked her back to his truck and helped her in.

 

“I hope you’re not going too crazy with your wedding diet,” Gendry admonished on the drive back.

 

“Hmm?,” she asked and then shook her head, “Don’t worry, I haven’t been dieting at all. Tune in on my wedding day when I can’t fit into my dress.”

 

He grinned at her, “You’re going to be a beautiful bride, and I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

 

***

 

He was finishing up some work at the kitchen table on Saturday evening. The apartment was unusually quiet as they’d left Tommy and Grey Wind at Winterfell with Jon and Sansa for the night.

 

“Robb are you nearly ready?,” Ella called from the bedroom, “We’re meant to meet them at 8.”

 

“I’ve just got to grab my jacket,” he said, hitting send on the last email and closing his laptop.

 

He got up from the table and grabbed his navy blue suit jacket and pulled it on. He heard her heels clacking on the floor and he turned around and had the wind knocked out of him.

 

“You look handsome!,” she exclaimed with a smile.

 

She was fastening one of the diamond and pearl earrings he’d gotten her for Mother’s Day in her ear and the other twinkled in the light. She was wearing a dusky purple dress with a criss-crossed neck, and her hair was up in a ponytail, leaving her edible shoulders bare. It swung against her legs, which looked like they went on for miles thanks to her heels.

 

“You are so beautiful,” he gulped.

 

He still couldn’t believe she was his, that it was his family’s ring on her finger, that it was him she’d pulled into the shower in his old bedroom at Winterfell that afternoon, letting the warm water wash over them both as they made love.

 

She blushed and said, “I’m wearing make up and I’m such a spaz with it, it doesn’t look stupid?”

 

He scanned over her face, which was perfect without anything and he shook his head, “No, no it doesn’t look stupid.”

 

She smiled, believing him at his word as she’d promised to do months before and grabbed her bag. She held out her hand and he took it, interlacing his fingers with hers and raising the back of her hand to his lips.

 

“I like date night,” she said giddily and he grinned back at her, pulling her out the door.

 

“Me too,” he said, “It’s going in the vows.”

 

“The vows?,” she said with a smile in the elevator. “Have you been working on them?”

 

“I’ve been thinking about them,” he told her.

 

“And date night is going in?,” she asked.

 

He nodded, “Yep, date night and promises to play with your hair when you aren’t feeling well and - that’s all I’m telling you for now.”

 

She smiled and said, “You have your secrets, Robb Stark, and I’ll have mine.”

 

“Have you been working on them?,” he asked her curiously. She shrugged and fluttered her eyelashes coquettishly. “You’re a little minx, Ella Baratheon.”

 

They drove to the restaurant and got there just before 8. The maitre’d ushered them over to a corner table where Theon and Shireen sat - Shireen on the booth and Theon in the chair opposite her.

 

“There’s my girl,” he said as he pulled Shireen into his arms.

 

“Hi Wolf,” she said kissing his cheek, “I finished my resume. Do you mind looking it over?”

 

“Not at all,” he shook his head, “Send it to me and I’ll look it over. There are a few people I want you to talk to - are you free for lunch this week?”

 

“Thursday?,” she asked with a grin and he nodded.

 

Theon and Ella were in their own discussion, so when Ella sat on the booth next to Shireen, Theon sat across from her and he plopped down across from Shireen.

 

He’d gotten to know Shireen rather quickly. It had become abundantly clear that for him and Ella to work he and Shireen had to work too. When you added in the fact that she was dating one of his oldest and closest friends, it became quite obvious that the world as they knew it would end if they didn’t get on. Luckily, there had been no fear of that, because he adored her. She was a bit wild like Arya, but so sweet and viciously bright, and she was unfailingly loyal to Ella and loving to Tommy.

 

“You know what I realised,” Theon said once they’d all gotten their drinks, “We never toasted to your engagement.”

 

“You facilitated Tommy’s adoption,” Ella pointed out with a smile, “I think we’ll forgive you.”

 

“Paperwork,” Theon said dismissively and held up his glass, “To love.”

 

“To love,” Robb echoed and cheers’d Ella first as she whispered _to love_ , and then Shireen and Theon.

 

“And to the greatest gold digger in the North!,” Shireen exclaimed and Ella visibly recoiled.

 

“Take that back,” he admonished.

 

It was one of the only dark clouds in their relationship. Money didn’t matter to him - which he knew was something only a very privileged person could feel but it didn’t. There were funds for all of the Stark children, so he knew they were all taken care of, and he’d set up one for Tommy months before. Ella had refused to have money transferred to her but had acquiesced to opening a joint checking account. As long as the people he loved were taken care of, he didn’t care about money, but Ella did.

 

She had a torrid relationship with money. She’d grown up richer than god and her privilege had been different than his. In fact it hadn’t felt like privilege at all. It had come with strings and expectations and betrayals. It had been used as a means of control and she hated it.

“What?,” Shireen said mischievously with a shrug, “I’m not saying you don’t _love_ her too…”

 

“Huh?,” Theon asked, echoing his thoughts.

 

“Oh come on,” Shireen said, “You guys have talked about it… only another year to go.”

 

“The Baratheon Trust…,” Ella said as though coming out of a dream, “I forgot all about it…”

 

“How on god’s green earth did you forget all about it?,” Shireen asked. “There has never been a family with more children eager to turn twenty five. Really takes the crisis out of your quarter-life.”

 

“Sweetheart?,” he asked, still confused.

 

Ella sighed, “There’s a trust on my father’s side of the family. All members can access it up to a certain amount -,” she broke off to glare at Shireen when Shireen started miming flicking wads of cash. He tried not to grin at her but failed when Theon started intoning _fitties fitties and huns huns_. He turned back to Ella and saw her biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, and she continued, “Once they turn twenty five. I didn’t tell you because I haven’t thought about it in ages. When I was nineteen, twenty five seemed like a whole lifetime away and I knew I had to put it out of my mind because it wouldn’t help me… I didn’t mean to keep it from you.”

 

“I know you didn’t,” he said, knowing it didn’t much matter anyway.

 

“How do you get access?,” she asked Shireen, “Do you have to show your birth certificate?”

 

“Usually with those kinds of things your birth certificate doesn’t suffice. You usually need to do a DNA test,” Theon noted.

 

Ella smiled and asked, “So anyone with Baratheon blood could access it?”

 

“I’d have to read the deed but should do,” Theon nodded.

 

“I’ll see if I can get a copy of it. But for now can we change the subject?,” Ella asked.

 

Shireen clearly felt sorry about bringing it up at all because she launched into stories of her graduation week, regaling them with tales of water balloon fights and drinking games that lasted days. By the end of it she had them all crying with laughter though he was pretty sure Theon was crying a little bit for real.

 

By the time they left dinner Ella had his jacket slung over her shoulders and she leaned against him on their way to the car.

 

“When I’m ninety years old I am going to drink nothing but gin martinis and eat nothing but that lavender mousse,” she said, referencing one of the desserts they’d gotten.

 

“And I’ll smoke cigars and drink whiskey all day,” he promised.

 

She smiled up at him, “And we’ll embarrass Tommy by saying outlandish things.”

 

“And we’ll play bridge, but only so we can gamble,” he grinned.

 

“And I’ll love you,” she promised.

 

“And I’ll love you,” he swore.

 

He let her in the passenger seat and went around to the driver’s side. He eased them out of the parking lot and through the city streets. Ella’s legs were crossed and she was looking at the window, watching the city go by.

 

“Do you remember the day of the blizzard when I got high?,” she asked him.

 

It was the day Harry came back into their lives, so he said, “Of course I do.”

 

“Do you remember what I said about Gendry?,” she asked.

 

It was admittedly the last thing he was thinking about from that day but he did remember.

 

“I thought you were just…high,” he said honestly.

 

“No,” she said, shaking her head, “I noticed it the first time I met him. He’s the spitting image of my father when he was his age, and you know that booming laugh he has? And he shucked my chin.”

 

“He shucked your chin?,” Robb asked in confusion.

 

“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?,” Ella said with a sigh, “I… I sound crazy, but I know it - I feel it so deeply.”

 

“That he’s a Baratheon,” Robb said.

 

“That he’s my brother,” Ella corrected.

 

“And that’s why you asked about the trust?,” Robb asked.

 

“His birthday is in August,” she said, “Twenty five.”

 

“Regardless, they are taken care of,” Robb pointed out.

 

“I know they are,” she nodded, “But if I’m right - he deserves it as much as I do. More.”

 

He took hold of her hand and kissed the back of it once again. She was nothing like the trust fund kids he’d known growing up. They all felt entitled - to everything - and took someone else having something as a personal affront to them. She was so different, and so deeply good.

 

“He does look an awful lot like Shireen,” he said, “I’ll give you that.”

 

“They’ve got the Baratheon look,” she said, and it was the first time he’d ever heard her sound jealous, “I’m pure Lannister.”

 

“Not where it counts,” he promised.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *approaches with tail between legs* hey ya'll....

 

“You look pretty Auntie Ella!,” Kitty gushed.

 

“Thank you, sweet pea,” she smiled, “Do you want me to braid your hair before bed?”

 

Her niece nodded and Ella sat on the bed behind her and took her soft dark brown hair gently in her hands.

 

“Ooh Mommy I want to watch,” Tommy said and came and sat up on his knees and watched as she plaited Kitty’s hair.

 

Once she’d finished she settled them back against the pillows.

 

“Alright, my loves, you have to get good night sleeps because we have a _big big BIG_ day tomorrow, don’t we?,” she asked them.

 

They both nodded at her excitedly and she heard a knock on the door. She turned to find Rickon walking in still fumbling with his tie.

 

“The sitter just got here,” he said, “She’s _smokin’._ ”

 

Ella rolled her eyes at Kitty and kissed both her and Tommy on the forehead before getting up. She crossed to Rickon and shooed his hands away and tied his tie for him, straightening the collar.

 

He looked so much like Robb, but his Tully eyes simmered with mischief.

 

“Everyone else go on ahead?,” she asked him.

 

“Just you and me, Babydoll. Now’s our time to runaway together if you want…,” he teased.

 

She chuckled and they headed down the stairs. They got into the truck he and Jon had restored together and he drove them over to the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner was being held.

 

Sansa, though practically hours away from her due date, had gone over early to make sure that everything looked perfect.

 

_“Sansa, doll, why don’t you stay here?,” she asked. “I helped make most of the decisions, you know I wouldn’t let it look anything less than perfect for them.”_

 

_“I know,” Sansa sighed, “But… this should have been my mother. All I wanted when I was getting married was my mother to be there with me at the florist, my father to be there to walk me down the aisle. And even though she’d never say it, I know that Arya wants the same thing. If it can’t be them.. it has to be me.”_

 

The others had followed along, wanting to be there to greet the guests. Their babysitter had been running late so she had stayed behind and Rickon had offered to stay behind with her. This hadn’t surprised anyone, he’d been her shadow the past couple of months.

 

_“Robb, Rick and I are going to go to the store, do you need anything?,” she asked as she went into their bedroom._

 

_“I think we’re running low on milk,” he told her._

 

_“Already on the list.”_

 

_“Of course it is,” he said with a grin, coming over to her._

 

_He smoothed her hair and kissed her._

 

_“I thought you guys were going to watch the game, but when I said I was going to the store, Rickon said he wanted to go too.”_

 

_Robb gave her a sad smile and stroked her cheek._

 

_“He doesn’t like you off on your own,” he told her._

 

_“Does he realise that before I knew all of you I was on my own all the time?,” she wondered._

 

_“I know it’s just… the stuff with Harry really upset him. He… told me… what Harry said in the coffee shop. He doesn’t trust that he wouldn’t try something again if he saw you on your own.”_

 

_Ella’s stomach knotted. Rickon was just a kid, it wasn’t his job to protect her. What did it say about her that she felt safer when he was around? She should be the one protecting him._

 

_“I’ll talk to him, he’s too young to take that on. He shouldn’t waste his time worrying about me.”_

 

_“Worrying about you is not a waste of time. But I’ve tried talking to him about it, and I got nowhere. He’s stubborn when it comes to the people he loves.”_

 

_“Hmm, I wonder where he got that from?”_

 

Rickon pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and parked the truck. She pulled down the mirror above her seat and double checked her make-up. She still hadn’t gotten used to wearing it, but with her wedding coming up she was trying it out more.

 

“I do not understand women,” Rickon sighed. She turned to look at him and he grinned, “You _know_ you look beautiful without it.”

 

She smiled, closing the mirror, “Maybe I’m just very vain. And what? Doesn’t Lily Manderly wear any make-up?”

 

“What Lily Manderly does is _none_ of my concern,” he sighed and got out of the truck.

 

 _Ruh roh_.

 

She got out and crossed to him, hooking her arm through his, “What happened there?”

 

“She _fucked_ some college guy,” Rickon sighed, “I mean… we weren’t _exclusive_ or anything I guess, but we were going to prom together and… I don’t know, we were both going to Wintertown University. I thought maybe we were headed in that direction.”

 

“Well the good news is that Wintertown University is _full_ of beautiful, smart girls, who will be scratching each others eyes out to get to you,” she reminded him.

 

He chuckled, “You’re right. Bring on the feeding frenzy…”

 

She couldn’t help but giggle, because in spite of his playboy ways, she knew that the moment he met the right girl he was going to settle down, just like all of his older siblings had. The Starks were the loyalist group of people she’d ever met, and they were remarkably good at knowing their hearts.

 

Rickon opened the door for her and led her in, offering her his arm once again.

 

They had rented out the restaurant for the evening, and it was still in the midst of cocktail hour. Most of the guests had already arrived and were milling about.

 

“Stay close, won't you?,” he asked in her ear, “I _hate_ small talk.”

 

“I’ll protect you, I promise,” she grinned at him.

 

They made their way through, saying hello to this one and that. She was surprised by how many of the people she knew.

 

“Ah, Rickon, is that you?,” a kindly looking old man asked gruffly.

 

“Yes sir,” Rickon nodded, “How are you, Mr. Mormont, have you met Ella?”

 

“Mr. Mormont, it’s such a pleasure,” she said offering his hand, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

 

“You must be the beauty that stole old Robb’s heart, eh?,” he asked as he shook it warmly, “I’ve heard wonderful things about you.”

 

Rickon wrapped his arm around her shoulders and clamped his hand over her mouth, “This is the part where she’d tell you it’s all lies - but it’s all true.”

 

Mormont chuckled at them as she shrugged and then his eyes lit up.

 

“Oh Rickon, do you remember my great-niece, Lyanna? She’s going to start at Wintertown University in the fall…,” Mormont said.

 

She and Rickon turned in tandem, his hand still over her mouth, towards the girl who approached. She sidled up to her great uncle and hooked her arm through his. She was slight, terribly so, with long reddish brown hair that fell halfway down her back. She wore a dress and heels, though it did not seem to come naturally to her, and her alabaster skin was free of make-up. Her eyes were dark, framed with long lashes, and her smile was almost crooked, making it all the more endearing.

 

She was utterly lovely.

 

“Hi Lyanna, I’m Ella Baratheon,” she said as Rickon lowered his hand. He was half leaning on her now and she wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. “This is my brother Rickon.”

 

“I know you,” Lyanna said to him, the north apparent in her voice, “You made me eat mud the last time I saw you.”

 

Rickon gulped. She had never seen him at a loss for words. She pinched his side.

 

“I uh… could make it up to you now… can I get you a drink?,” he asked her.

 

“Non-alcoholic,” Mormont said gruffly.

 

“Of course, Uncle,” Lyanna said, winking at Rickon.

 

That wink seemed to snap Rickon out of whatever trance he was in and he straightened up, puffing out his chest and gestured for her to come with him. She and Mormont watched the young pair walk away and he smiled at her conspiratorially.

 

She wanted to ask him about his work with Jon when she was stopped by a beautiful middle aged woman.

 

“Cersei?,” the woman asked.

 

***

 

“Will you stop fussin’ over me?,” Nan snapped at him.

 

“I was just getting you a drink!,” he protested.

 

She fixed him with an expression that told him she had _seen_ the chair he was leading her towards and would not be subdued without a fight.

 

“Where’s Ella? _She_ never fusses like this,” Nan complained.

 

“Yes she does, she’s just cleverer about it,” Robb sighed.

 

Nan chuckled and nodded, acknowledging Ella’s superior intellect. Nan loved her, which wasn’t much of a surprise. She’d hated Jeyne, which again, had not been much of a surprise.

 

Ella and Tommy loved going over to Nan’s though, and they now joined him on his dinners with her. Nan had taught Ella how to make some of her most treasured recipes, the way she had with Sansa, and Tommy liked to sit and look through the photo albums of him and his siblings when they were kids. He also had been raised without grandparents, and loved the way Nan spoiled him with treats before dinner and _little sumpthins_ she’d seen that made her think of him.

 

“Now are you _sure_ you don’t want me taking Tommy while you’re on your honeymoon?,” she asked.

 

He smiled at the kindly old woman that had helped raise him and his siblings. When his parents had died, she had come over every day for two months to help him and Sansa. They’d never asked, but she always came. She always knew what to do to bring Arya out of a funk, or to make Bran laugh.

 

_“I’m not enough,” he shook his head, swiping the stray tear._

 

_“Now you listen to me Robbert Hoster Stark,” Nan said sternly, “I’ve known you since you were three days old. I fed you and clothed you and I changed your diapers. I was there when you took your first steps, and when you threw a football for the first time. I still remember the day you kissed a girl for the first time - oh you think I didn’t see you? Please. I have watched you grow up into the exact man your parents always wanted you to be. You are enough, you are - I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, and it shouldn’t be all on your shoulders, you had years of childhood ahead of you that you don’t get anymore. But that’s life, isn’t it? You are the best chance those kids have. You’re the only one that’ll see them through this.”_

 

_“Who’s going to see me through it?”_

 

_She smiled and smoothed his hair, “Me.”_

 

“I’m sure,” he nodded, “You’ve done enough Nanny.”

 

She gave him a sad smile and patted his face, then her brow crinkled, “Where is that girl of yours? I’ve got something for her.”

 

He chuckled, “It’s _Arya’s_ wedding, shouldn’t you be getting her something?”

 

She shooed him away as though he was very foolish and he was about to start laughing when all of a sudden he heard shouting.

 

He left Nan and crossed through, ready to escort out whoever was making a scene at his baby sister’s rehearsal dinner. He was surprised to find Ella at the center of it all.

 

He had never seen her so pale, not even when she’d come down with the flu a couple of months ago, and she looked as though a ghost stood in front of her.

 

In actuality, it was Gendry’s mother.

 

A bit of a crowd had formed and he pushed his way through as gently as she could.

 

“Miss Waters, perhaps we could go outside,” Ella was saying softly.

 

“Don’t you _touch_ me you Lannister _bitch!_ ,” Gendry’s mother growled.

 

 _So she was right_.

 

He would have liked to cross to Ella’s side but he went up to Gendry’s mother instead, “Miss Waters?”

 

She turned at his voice and smiled warmly at him, “Oh Robb, dear, hello.”

 

Gendry had told him a bit about what was going on with his mother, but he hadn’t understood it until now. She had gotten in a terrible car accident last year and they’d all been afraid she wouldn’t survive. She had, but she was changed. She had become mercurial, but more than that it was like she was living on two different planes, and you never knew when she’d switch between one or the other. All she needed was a trigger.

 

“Hi Miss Waters,” he said, taking hold of her arm gently, “You look absolutely lovely. Would you come get a drink with me? There are some things we should discuss for tomorrow…”

 

“Oh of course,” she smiled, “And you _must_ introduce me to your fiancé, I have heard so many wonderful things from Gendry and Arya.”

 

His eyes shifted nervously to Ella and she waved him off, but just then Gendry came through the crowd.

 

“Mom _this_ is Robb’s fiancé,” he told her, “This is Ella Baratheon.”

 

Robb closed his eyes, knowing what was coming. There was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

 

Miss Waters turned and her scowl came back, “ _That_ is Cersei Lannister. The cunt that ruined our lives.”

 

“Mom!,” Gendry admonished, but Ella, clearly wanting to avoid having this conversation on the eve of his wedding, went to put her hand on his arm to stop him from going any further.

 

“Don’t you _dare_ touch my son, you bitch!,” Miss Waters started, “Now that old Robert’s dead and buried you think you can get _our boy?!_ ”

 

Ella flinched as though she’d been slapped.

 

She straightened up though quickly, avoiding the curious glances. It was undeniably regal, the cloak she seemed to wrap around herself.

 

“Robb, darling,” she said formally, “I think I’ll go check on the children. Tommy had a bit of a stomachache before I left.”

 

“Sure sweetheart,” he said impotently, “Whatever you want, you know that.”

 

She nodded and disappeared, the crowd making room for her.

 

“Mom, what the hell is going on?,” Gendry asked. “Who is Cersei Lannister?”

 

His mother blinked at him and let out an embarrassed laugh, “Cersei Lannister? I haven’t heard that name in a hundred years! Wherever do you come up with these things, Gendry?”

 

Gendry looked at him and he shook his head. Ella and he had talked more about it the past week, he’d told her everything he knew about Gendry’s parentage and childhood.

 

She’d shown him a picture of her father and he couldn’t deny that Gendry was a dead ringer for him. There was more to it than that though. Odd similarities he noticed between them and Shireen, the way he shared oddities with Bran and Arya.

 

They both had an abhorrence for over indulging in anything, be it wine or food. They avoided laziness above all else, and both had a way of quirking their eyebrow at you when they thought you were crazy.

 

He hadn’t been entirely convinced though until he’d seen the anger radiating off of sweet Miss Waters.

 

Gendry was marrying his sister tomorrow and in a few weeks time he’d return the favor by marrying his. The strings that connected them were getting tangled and pulled taut and nobody knew but soon everyone would.

 

And if Ella was to be believed, Gendry had inherited his temper from their father.


	22. Chapter 22

She had known he would come for her so after she had checked on the kids she had paid the sitter and made herself a cup of tea.

 

She hadn’t even bothered taking off her make-up or putting on her pajamas, she had merely kicked off her high heels and picked a book of the shelf of the library. It was an old favourite of hers, but she wasn’t really paying attention as her eyes flitted over the familiar words.

 

All she could think about was the anger in Miss Waters’ eyes.

 

“Ella? Ella!,” she heard him call.

 

She closed the book and placed it on the coffee table and stood up.

 

“Gendry,” she called lightly and he whipped around. She shook her head, “I’m so sorry.”

 

His eyes trailed over her, as though seeing her for the first time.

 

“Is it true?,” he asked her. She nodded slowly. His eyes turned vicious, “And you never told me?”

 

“I wasn’t sure,” she shook her head, swiping away a tear. “Not until tonight.”

 

“Until my mother…,” he started and then shook his head, “Ella I am so sorry.”

 

She looked at him in shock, “For _what_?”

 

He crossed the distance to her and took hold of her arms, “She’s… she hasn’t been right since the accident and… I… that must have been so terrible, I am _so_ sorry. I’ll talk to her, find a way to explain.”

 

There were so many things she could have said to him in that moment. She could have called him a noble fool, she could have told him that he was better, a better man than their father had ever been. She could have told him how happy he was her brother now in every sense of the word.

 

All she did though was hug him.

 

He had to bend down to hug her back, and she felt herself being lifted into his arms.

 

She had never hated her mother more than she did in that moment. She had not just stolen one brother from her, she had stolen two. She could see it now, the brother he would have been to her.

 

Brave and strong and caring. Like Jon was to Arya and Robb was to Sansa. He would have looked out for her.

 

He would have told Tommen that it was okay to love anyone he wanted.

 

All at once a sob took over her body. Gendry squeezed her tighter, his hand cupping the back of her head and she surrendered herself to his strength.

 

“He’d have loved you,” she told him. “He wasn’t a good man, or even a good father, but he’d have loved you.”

 

He set her down and she was surprised that there tears falling from his eyes too.

 

“I can’t,” he shook his head, “I can’t think about that. I can’t… love him Ella…”

 

She nodded, “I understand.”

 

“But you,” he told her, “Something tells me he wouldn’t have turned his back on you so quickly. Maybe I could honour him that way. By taking care of the girl he loved.”

 

She sob-laughed and he cupped her cheek and she held his wrist in both hands.

 

“He’d like that,” she told him confidently, “If his legacy was us taking care of each other.”

 

He furrowed his brow, “Now who said anything about _you_ taking care of _me_?”

 

“I did,” she told him stubbornly.

 

“First rule of having a little sister?,” Robb asked and they turned in tandem to see him standing in the doorway.

 

“They’re _always_ right,” Jon sighed.

 

“Wait, say that again, and _realllllly_ enunciate this time,” Arya cooed at Jon, holding her phone close to him.

 

She and Gendry laughed but then she glanced at the clock, “What about the party?”

 

Arya stepped towards her. She hadn’t even gotten to see her that evening. She looked beautiful in a dove grey dress so pale it was almost white, her wide eyes alight with joy and love.

 

“We told everyone to go home,” she shrugged, “That we had a family matter to discuss…”

 

“You didn’t,” Ella protested even as they embraced.

 

“Course we did,” Rickon grinned.

 

Bran scoffed, “Stop acting like it was _your_ idea. Jon had to physically remove you from Lyanna Mormont’s lips.”

 

Everyone turned to look at Jon and he had his eyes closed, “The image is going to haunt me for a very long time.”

 

She and Gendry were the first to start laughing and he pulled her under his arm.

 

“Well, it feels like this calls for a drink,” he suggested.

 

“I’m buying,” Robb grinned his gorgeous grin at her as he went to the liquor cabinet, “What’ll it be.”

 

“Whiskey,” Jon told him, “Like you had to ask.”

 

“None for you Jon,” Sansa called.

 

“What? Why?,” Jon asked.

 

“Well… because I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”

 

***

 

“Sansa sit down,” Jon urged.

 

“I don’t want to sit down,” Sansa told him.

 

“You’ll feel better if you sit,” Robb urged her.

 

Ella chuckled and stood up, wrapping her arm around Sansa’s waist and holding her hand.

 

She gave them an indulgent grin and shook her head, “Funny how they think they know what’ll make a pregnant woman feel better, when _they’ve_ never given birth.”

 

Sansa smiled but grimaced immediately, her hand clutching her stomach, “That’s one word for it.”

 

They had gotten her a room immediately, the perks of the Stark endowment to the hospital, but the nurse had informed them that Sansa wasn’t dilated enough for anything to happen yet.

 

Arya and Gendry were calling everyone on their guest list to tell them that the party would most likely be delayed. It was lucky they had chosen to have a small wedding.

 

Bran and Rickon had stayed at the house with Kitty and Tommy, Nan and Miss Waters had been on their way when they left as well.

 

Sansa and Ella turned about the room, Ella slowing her pace to accommodate Sansa’s wide gait.

 

“Here, lean on me, it’s alright,” Ella said to her softly.

 

Sansa leaned her head against Ella’s, covering the hand that was on her waist as she grimaced in pain. His and Jon’s eyes met in fear, remembering a night nearly four years ago when Sansa had needed an emergency C-section.

 

“Should I tell you about when I gave birth to Tommy?,” Ella asked her. Sansa nodded against her, the same way Kitty always did when Ella offered to tell her a story. Ella smiled and said, “Well it was on a very stormy night. I had just arrived here, I had been working odd jobs on the journey north, and I had only planned to spend a week or so here. I was staying in a motel, you know that one on Jones’ street?”

 

“Oh Ella,” Sansa scolded, probably thinking of how decrepit that place was. It was no place for an expectant mother, and certainly no place for Ella.

 

Ella smiled and nodded, “I know but I knew that every penny counted and I wanted to save it all for when Tommy arrived. So I was sitting in bed when I got a hankering for chocolate and I went out to the vending machines, and I bent over to grab my candy bar out of the machine and my water broke.”

 

“Oh Ella,” Jon chuckled.

 

“I know,” Ella nodded, “So I hailed a cab -“

 

“Oh _Ella_ ,” he groaned.

 

“Yes yes I _know_ ,” she smiled, “But what else was I supposed to do? So anyway, the driver was so terrified that I was going to be give birth in the back of his taxi that he ran every red light, and practically drove me right into the delivery room.” She smiled to herself, and shook her head, “You know I actually remember seeing _Stark_ up on the wall of the list of donors. I was reading everything I could just to take my mind off of it, off of what was coming.”

 

“But nothing could,” Sansa said knowingly.

 

The pair of them shared a look that went beyond words, beyond anything. Two women who had very different journeys of love and loss and family who had wound back to the same place, who didn’t need superficial similarities between them to understand one another completely.

 

Ella gave her a small smile and shook her head, “No, nothing could.”

 

“You were all alone,” Jon said angrily.

 

Ella nodded, “I was,” and then gave a brilliant, heartbreaking smile, “And then I wasn’t, because Tommy was born. He was so small, and pink, but he had these lungs on him, as though he was daring the world to count him out.”

 

Robb grinned, thinking of their son’s quiet determination. The little divet that appeared between his eyes when he was focusing on a problem he refused to walk away from.

 

“When I woke in the morning, snow had freshly fallen, and it covered everything I could see, blanketing it, purifying it. And I felt like I had been purified along with it,” she told them, “So we never left.”

 

“Thank the gods,” he uttered.

 

“Amen,” Jon and Sansa answered.

 

“I think I’m ready to lie down now,” Sansa told her.

 

Jon hopped up and took over from Ella, helping Sansa into the bed and settling her against the pillows. They whispered amongst themselves and Ella came and sat in the chair beside him.

 

“It won’t be like that,” he told her, “Next time.”

 

She leaned her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around his shoulder and she settled in more firmly to his side. He ran his hand up and down her arm. They hadn’t even changed, so she had his suit jacket on over her dress.

 

“That night gave me Tommy,” she told him, “And them. And you. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

 

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

 

“Well maybe one thing,” she allowed.

 

“What’s that?,” he asked curiously.

 

“In all the excitement I forgot my candy bar in the taxi…”

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

“Is everyone alright?,” she asked into the phone.

 

“Everyone is _fine,_ ,” Rickon yawned on the other end, “The kids are asleep, Nan’s asleep, Bran’s asleep, I have _no_ idea where Miss Waters is -“

 

“Rickon!,” she scolded.

 

“Oh _relax_ Ella, she’s probably asleep too,” Rickon yawned again.

 

“Alright, I’ll let you go so you can get some sleep. Robb and I will be back before the kids wake up, alright?,” she promised.

 

“Alright,” he agreed, “But talk to me a little longer… tell me about my new nephew.”

 

Ella smiled to herself. Robbert Eddard Snow was a perfect 7 pounds 8 ounces, and had come squalling into the world far earlier than anyone had expected. The delivery had only been about four hours, he had been ready to make his presence known.

 

“He’s going to give them such trouble,” she grinned.

 

Rickon chuckled, “Good, your son is way too well behaved.”

 

“You best not tell him that,” she warned, “But honestly Rick, it’s nearly two in the morning you must be exhausted.”

 

“I am,” he agreed, and she could practically hear the dopey smile on his face when he said, “The funny thing is I can’t sleep.”

 

_Oh Lyanna Mormont, be gentle with his heart._

 

“You’ve got it bad, sweetie,” she sighed.

 

“I know I -,” Rickon started.

 

She stopped listening though when she heard someone shout, “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND SHE’S THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD I HAVE TO SEE HER!”

 

“What was _that_?,” Rickon asked.

 

“I don’t-“

 

“ _BARATHEON, MYRCELLA BARATHEON_ or maybe Stark?! I don’t know, I don’t know when the wedding is,” she heard and now she knew it was Harry.

 

He didn’t sound sober.

 

“Rick, I have to let you go,” she said.

 

“Wait but Ella isn’t that-,” she hung up the phone.

 

She rounded the corner and saw Harry motherfucking Hardying standing there over the poor administrator’s desk. Upon further inspection he didn’t seem drunk just hostile and a little belligerent.

 

“Harry?,” she interrupted.

 

He turned to look at her and his eyes blinked for a few moments, as though he wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. And then without preamble he stocked forward and wrapped her in his arms.

 

“Harry, what in Seven Hells?,” she asked, pushing him off of her.

 

“Ella I- I thought you were - by the gods I was so - and they wouldn’t -“

 

“Is there a problem here?,” she heard and looked to find a security guard standing there. The administrator pointed at Harry and the guard stepped forward, “I’m going to have to escort you out.”

 

With that the security guard started pushing Harry towards the exit. She had no idea why he was here, or why he was looking for her.

 

She hadn’t seen him in nearly two months, not since that day at the coffee shop. He’d called a few times at first and she had told him she wasn’t ready. She’d told him that she was sorry, which she was, but that she didn’t feel comfortable being around him and that she didn’t trust him with Tommy on his own. In spite of everything he had done, it wasn’t an easy conversation to have.

 

She had never enjoyed causing anyone pain, but it was Tommy. She wouldn’t risk him.

 

“If Robb Stark or Jon Snow come looking for me, will you tell them I stepped outside for a moment?,” she asked the administrator.

 

“You sure you know what you’re doing?,” the woman asked her.

 

“No,” Ella admitted and then realised, “And I’m so sorry about how he acted.”

 

The woman looked at her in surprise, as though she was well used to being yelled at but not familiar with being apologised to. Ella gave her an apologetic smile and then followed Harry and the security guard outside.

 

The security guard gave Harry a shove and her a look of concern before he went back outside. She pulled Robb’s suit jacket tighter against her, though it was nearly June at night it still got very cold.

 

“What are you doing here, Harry?,” she asked.

 

“I came to find you,” he said.

 

“At 2 in the morning?,” she questioned. It was beyond inappropriate.

 

“No at 9 pm,” he said.

 

“Harry I don’t -“

 

“Okay, one of the guys on my team is friends with Gendry. I saw the invitation on his desk to the rehearsal dinner, I saw the name Stark and I just you know, figured, what are the chances?,” he shrugged, as though he didn’t have a choice in the matter. “So I went there and no one was there, they said everyone went home. So I went out to Winterfell,” he said and her face grew red with anger at the thought of him anywhere near Tommy without her, “And some woman said you had gone to the emergency room.”

 

Miss Waters, she realised. Nan knew who he was and wouldn’t have told him anything.

 

“So you _what_? You thought you’d just show up to uninvited to the rehearsal dinner for two people that I love dearly and… what?,” she wondered.

 

“I… I don’t know, okay? I’m just, I’ve been going crazy these last couple months, not seeing you,” he told her.

 

“You didn’t see me for over four years,” she reminded him, “You seemed to stay sane enough then. And what about _Tommy_? Your son?”

 

Harry’s eyes got wide and he shuffled uncomfortably, “Well of course I miss him. That goes without saying.”

 

“No,” she shook her head, “It doesn’t.”

 

It would from Robb. Or Jon. Or Gendry. Or Bran or Rickon. Theon. _They_ loved Tommy so obviously that it would have gone without saying that they missed him. They’d all walk on hot coals for him, they’d lay down their lives for him.

 

She felt her eyes smarting, thinking about the wonderful men that had come into her son’s life. The men who would love him, and guide him, who would show him how to treat others. He could rely on all of them, any of them.

 

And he’d never need a damn thing from Harry Hardyng.

 

“Myrcella, _please_ ,” Harry said, in that voice that always used to tug at her. As he stepped closer to her now, she couldn’t for the life of her understand how she’d ever found him attractive. “I need you… baby, please-“

 

With that he went to grab her, but before he could he got yanked back and pulled to the ground.

 

“Come near my sister again and I will _kill_ you, do you hear me?,” Gendry raged, standing over him.

 

“Seven fucking _hells_ ,” Harry shouted, “How many _brothers_ do you have!?!”

 

“Enough,” a tinkling voice practically cooed, “But they’re nothing compared to her sisters.”

 

And with that Arya kicked Harry in the stomach. He let out a groan and Arya stepped over him and held out her hands to her.

 

She hadn’t seen them approach and she’d been ready to try some of the moves that Rickon and Jon had taught her. Even still, she felt better when Gendry and Arya flanked her. Stronger.

 

“I’m taking out a restraining order,” she informed Harry, “If you ever come near me or my son again you will regret it. And Harry? I was _never_ your baby.”

 

With that she turned around and started walking towards the hospital once again.

 

Arya hooked her arm through hers and said, “Speaking of babies. Introduce me to our nephew, won’t you?”

 

***

 

“Where were you?,” he asked Ella as she pulled him out into the hall.

 

Gendry and Arya’s arrival had corresponded to his nephew’s feeding schedule, so in spite of Gendry’s discomfort about the whole thing, he and Arya were in the room with Sansa and Jon. Considering that he’d already gotten his chance to hold his little namesake, he figured he should give them some privacy.

 

 _Inspire them_ , Nan would say. She wanted them all to have as many little Starks as possible, which is why Sansa was her favourite.

 

“I called Rickon to check on everyone,” Ella said, which he had known, but when he’d poked his head of the room earlier he couldn’t find her. She looked at him nervously and said, “And then Harry showed up. He went by the house and -“

 

Robb saw red, “He was at _our family’s home?_ He was near Tommy, how in Seven Hells-“

 

“He didn’t go near him,” she promised, “He wasn’t looking for him. He was looking for me. He must have ran into Miss Waters and she told him that I’d gone to the emergency room. He came here in a panic, he was shouting, I can’t believe you didn’t hear him…”

 

Robb’s brow furrowed, he had heard something. But this was a hospital, every possible emotion was present at any time. He hadn’t thought anything of it.

 

“Anyway,” Ella sighed, shaking her head, “He… he’s just so full of _shit,_ you know? And he… I don’t want him near our son. I know we’ve been going back and forth on how to handle it and I _know_ that I said we’d decide together but I just… I can’t let him, I’m sorry. I told him I was getting a restraining -“

 

Robb didn’t let her finish, he just pulled her to him and kissed her. She let out a surprised gasp, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, one arm wrapped tightly around the small of her back, his other hand holding her by the back of her head.

 

She responded, her arms wrapping around his back, and kissed him back just as passionately.

 

They had been talking about it. A lot. But he had known how he felt about it from the start, and every moment that Harry had been a part of their lives had proven his instincts right.

 

Though he knew she valued his opinion and respected his concerns, he had wanted her to be the one to come to the final decision. It wasn’t because he’d fear she would resent him, or that Tommy would, but rather because he feared he would regret it. Taking him away from them - even if it was to protect them both.

 

What he hadn’t expected was what it would mean to him when she did. He had known she was in this, she had never given him reason to doubt it, not once, but now he knew without a shadow of a doubt. She was all in.

 

He kissed her once more and pulled back slightly, “What made you decide?”

 

She smiled up at him and said, “You’re all he needs,” there were tears in her eyes as she went on, “You’re the father he was always meant to have. But he has more than you, more than me, he has a whole family now, to look out for him and protect him, to love him. He’s a Stark now - he’ll never need Harry.”

 

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again.

 

“Marry me,” he growled.

 

“I’m going to,” she promised.

 

“Tonight, now,” he pleaded.

 

She giggled and said, “Arya loves me, but Sansa already had a baby on the eve of her wedding. If I get married on it, she may never forgive me.”

 

He chuckled and nodded, “You’re probably right about that. I’m just impatient…”

 

“I’ll be your wife soon,” she said sweetly, rubbing her nose against his, “And then for the rest of our lives…”

 

He couldn’t help but want the rest of their lives to start right then. It was impossible not to be patient when a woman like Myrcella agreed to be your wife.

 

They were going to have forever, he just had to wait a few more weeks.

 

Even still, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Did you go off your birth control?”

 

“Robb,” she blushed, “We’re in a hospital. Surrounded by,” she looked around as though the walls were bugged and whispered, “ _Babies_.”

 

“I know,” he growled at her, pulling her towards another hospital room, “I want one.”

 

“Robb!,” she scolded and then moaned it when he pulled her into an empty room and pushed her up against the wall. “How _ooh_ how did you know it was… _ohh gods Robb just like that_ empty?”

 

“I checked earlier,” he told her with a grin, pulling his suit jacket off of her and locking the door.

 

She looked at him in surprise and then her eyes trailed down his body hungrily, and when they traveled back up to his there was fire in them.

 

“You’re trouble, Robb Stark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just have the epilogue left now. I love this story but I think I have taken it as far as I want to. I hope you've enjoyed reading it! xoxo


	24. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OH my god. I can't believe this one is over. I have loved this version of them so fiercely. Thank you to everyone who read and loyally commented.

“I can’t do it,” he shook his head as she straightened his bowtie. “I can’t let her go.”

 

She smiled knowingly. This was what every father went through when their little girl got married, and he’d always been a more doting father than most. He loved his son fiercely, but he’d always been helpless against his little girl.

 

“You’re not letting her go,” she told him, “You’re just letting her grow up.”

 

“Don’t believe a _word_ she says, son,” Robb said as he came in, “You should have seen her on your wedding day.”

 

Tommy, now _Tom,_ grinned and said, “Oh god, Dad, I forgot about that! She was such a mess.”

 

“A…a _mess_? I was… simply…,” she tried to think of a word for it.

 

“A mess,” they teased in unison.

 

“You know what, you two can just tie your own damn ties,” she scolded half-heartedly.

 

She looked in the mirror and straightened the jacket of her light pink skirt suit. Her granddaughter Lily had chosen the colour perfectly, but there was nothing that could hide the lines in her face. Which was just as well. At nearly eighty she had earned them.

 

She turned to look at Robb, still handsome at eighty-three, as he straightened their son’s bowtie. He had been a wreck this morning as well, until they’d seen Lily. She looked so happy, and beautiful, lounging with her cup of tea, not yet in her gown, and she had sprinted across the room amidst all of her bridesmaids and her aunts and mother, right into Robb’s arms where she asked for his special blessing.

 

Tom was an incredible father, and had raised two children in his image. Robbert, his eldest was too busy working to settle down, but she knew that Kitty had helped Lily manage the guest list to include some eligible girls, and Lily, the light of his life, had fallen in love with Robbert’s best friend when she was no more than twelve, taking after her great-aunt Sansa.

 

Willem Manderly was a good man and had been part of the family for many years, so really, the boys shouldn’t be making such a fuss over it.

 

“So Mom,” Tom asked, “Will I do?”

 

She looked back at him and grinned, “Marvellously, baby.”

 

They heard a knock on the door and a very concerned face asked, “How’s he doing?”

 

Ella held her hands out for her niece Kitty and said, “I think he could use some bucking up.”

 

“That’s what we’re here for,” another voice said and Ella smiled at her younger son Ned as he walked in with his little sister Joanna.

 

“She looks beautiful, Tommy,” Joanna said.

 

She had never stopped calling him that, even when he took over the family business. In fact she’d had a placard made for his desk reading _Tommy Stark - President,_ which he still placed prominently.

 

“Always does,” Tommy shrugged, “As do you, little one.”

 

He was right, Joanna, the youngest of their brood had always been a great beauty, growing to look exactly like her Auntie Arya. At fifty, with sons of her own, she was one of the most beautiful women Ella had ever seen, and she looked especially so in her pale pink dress.

 

“Are we ready?,” she asked them all.

 

“Well…,” Kitty said in a slightly worried tone, “Not exactly. Lily’s asking for you.”

 

Ella felt her heart swell and nodded at all of them, squeezing Tommy’s hand once before she left them all. She walked through the familiar halls of her home, she and Robb had been so pleased when Lily and Willem had asked to have the wedding here, and up the stairs. She walked down the hall to the room that Lily had claimed as her own as a little girl, where she’d taken naps and spent weekends. She had decorated it as a teenager, even though she had her own room at Tommy’s house a few miles away. Her and Robb would never touch a thing, always wanting her to feel like she had a place of her own with them should she have need of it.

 

She rapped on the door and opened it slightly, “Knock, knock.”

 

Lily turned towards her and her heart stopped. She was so breathtaking, and so grown up. She’d helped choose her gown, but hadn’t seen her after the final fittings. She looked like such a lady, with her long lace sleeves and gorgeous veil.

 

“Hi Grammy,” she all but whispered.

 

“Hi honey,” she said and closed the door. “Now if you want to run, you’ve got to lose the veil, it’ll only slow us down. Great-Uncle Rickon has the car all ready to go.”

 

Lily let out a tear-filled giggle and cried, “ _Grammy!_ ”

 

Ella smiled at her and crossed to her, and teased, “Well, my dear, when a bride asks to see you a few minutes before she’s set to walk down the aisle, a grandmother has to wonder…”

 

Lily took her hand and led her to the bed. She was twenty-four, the same age she had been when she married Robb, but she looked so young as her hand stroked the bedspread.

 

“I love this room,” Lily told her with a dreamy smile. “It’s where Willem kissed me for the first time.”

 

“And where he nearly lost his life,” Ella chuckled, remembering Robb threatening to run him off the property if he ever caught him in here again.

 

Lily giggled but her brow furrowed, “I don’t have to give it up, now that I’m getting married do I?”

 

“Of course you don’t, honey,” Ella promised, “You’ll always have a home here.”

 

Lily nodded, a tear falling out of her eye, “Good because… I have to live with a _boy_ now. And I love him, I do, but his socks smell _so bad_.” Ella chuckled and wiped the tear gently so as not to ruin her make-up. “And it’s so… grown-up…,” Lily went on, shaking her head, and then she let out a little sob and said, “And it’s just safe here with you and Papa.”

 

“Oh honey,” Ella said and took her into her arms. She rubbed her back and she was wondering if she _should_ have taken Rickon up on his offer to have the car running. She could sneak her out the back, no problem, if it weren’t for the damn dogs. They loved Lily more than anyone. “Pre-wedding jitters is normal, okay? So if that’s all it is, I want you to take a deep breath, and know that it is all going to be alright. I had them when I married your Papa.”

 

“You _did_?!?!,” Lily asked in horror.

 

“Well,” Ella started and then sighed, “Okay no, I didn’t. I can’t lie to you, but I’ll tell you what your Daddy’s Uncle Jon told me, alright?”

 

_“Knock, knock,” she heard and turned as Jon walked into the room._

 

_“Ella…,” Jon shook his head, his eyes filling with tears, “You look so-“_

 

_“Let me see her!,” Rickon cried and stumbled in._

 

_He was followed by Gendry. And Bran. And - “Theon?”_

 

_She let out a laugh and asked, “What are you all doing here?”_

 

_“Well,” Gendry said, straightening his suit and pushing Theon out of the way, “We have a bone to pick with you.”_

 

_“But it’s my wedding day…,” she pointed out._

 

_“That’s what I tried to tell them,” Jon said._

 

_“Shut up,” they all admonished in unison._

 

_Ella bit her lip to keep from laughing and placed her hands on her hips, “Well go on then.”_

 

_“Well,” Rickon said, “I heard that Jon is walking you down the aisle. And I think it’s bullshit.”_

 

_“Yeah, it should definitely be me,” Gendry said._

 

_“Um, no, actually what I was going to say is -,” Rickon started._

 

_“I’m the obvious choice,” Theon suggested._

 

_“In what world are you the obvious choice?,” Rickon asked._

 

_“I’ll explain it to you when you graduate from the kiddie table,” Theon said, ruffling his hair._

 

_“You look really beautiful,” Bran said as Gendry tried to keep Theon and Rickon from wrestling._

 

_They all turned and smiled, “Oh, yeah you do.”_

 

_She chuckled and said, “Well what’s the solution here? Do you want me to walk down the aisle five times?”_

 

_“I told you she’d do it!,” Rickon exulted._

 

_She looked at Jon helplessly and he nodded, “Why don’t you guys give me a minute alone with the bride, alright?”_

 

_They all glared at him and headed for the door. Gendry pushed Theon out and then closed the door until Jon turned and looked at him pointedly. Gendry sighed and opened the door and left them too._

 

_Jon smiled at her sadly and said, “You are one of the three most beautiful brides this world has ever seen.” She smiled and he said, “And I think Gendry should walk you down the aisle.”_

 

_“But Jon…,” she started._

 

_“I know,” he nodded, “I wanted it to be me too. And when I walk Kitty down the aisle, I will think of you, and how beautiful you look right now, and all I hope that she is as good and strong and kind as you are. I love you, kid, so much, and if it wasn’t my best friend and brother you were walking towards today I would be driving the getaway car because there is no one else in this world that deserves you. But the thing is, this is just a day, and that walk down the aisle is just fifty feet. And I’m going to be there to walk beside you every day, for the rest of your life. So it’s alright, really it is.”_

 

_She hugged him, “I love you. So much. None of this would have happened without you, you know that?”_

 

_“I do,” he grinned, “And I’m going to tell you something that I’m sure no one else has…”_

 

She cupped Lily’s cheek and repeated the words Jon had told her all those years ago, “There are days that it’s going to be hard, and you’re going to want to run away, and it’s alright. It’s not supposed to be easy, my darling girl, but you love him. You love him with your whole body, your whole heart, loving him is who you are. So I know you’re going to be okay. And when he _pisses you off_ , you just come to me and we’ll sort it out.”

 

Lily let out a tear-filled laugh and hugged her, “I love you, Grammy.” When the tears had stopped she pulled away and her brow furrowed, “Did he? Papa I mean, did he piss you off?”

 

Ella chuckled, “Oh honey, you have no idea. And between you and me, his socks don’t smell that sweet either.”

 

Lily smiled and said, “And you’ve loved him.”

 

“And I’ve loved him,” Ella agreed.

 

***

 

“Look at him now,” Ella smiled, “You’d have no idea he was on the verge of a panic attack earlier.”

 

Robb followed her gaze to where their son was twirling Kitty across the dance floor. After all these years they were still best friends. Kitty was as much an Aunt to Robbert and Lily as Joanna was, and in truth, all of the kids were still fiercely devoted to their siblings and their cousins. They’d instilled that in their children, which is why Lily was currently being twirled by Jon’s eldest grandson, and his grandson Robbert was warning a friend of his away from his cousin (technically second, but no one thought of such differences). The third generation of Starks and Snows and Waters were as fiercely loyal as his had been, just larger.

 

He looked around and it was like stepping back in time, the strapping boys in their suits, the beautiful girls keeping them in line.

 

 _You Really Got a Hold on Me_ came on and Robb looked at his own bride. Her exquisite beauty had never faded, and she looked refined and poised, but he still remembered her dancing in his bedroom, wearing nothing but his shirt. Everything had been so new between him then, and he had never imagined loving anyone the way he loved her. The love he bore her now though made that seem like a pale trifle, and after all these years he still couldn’t help but grab that butt of hers.

 

“Dance with me,” he grinned at her, and she looked at him and blushed.

 

She placed her hand in hers and he pulled her out onto the dance floor. They started moving to the familiar beat, and though neither of them moved as easily as they once did, they were still in sync.

 

“Look at her,” Ella sighed.

 

He followed her gaze to where Lily was now dancing with her new husband Willem. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, nodding along as she told him something. Willem turned her though and when he pulled her back they stopped talking, and Lily leaned her forehead against his and they swayed together.

 

“She looks just like you,” he told her.

 

Ella shook her head, “I was never that beautiful.”

 

“You still are that beautiful,” he corrected.

 

“And you still look at me the way he looks at her,” she smiled, leaning her forehead against his.

 

“Thank you,” he sighed, tears filling his eyes. “For giving me this life, this wonderful life. I never could have imagined…”

 

She smiled at him and stroked her cheek, “But you did imagine it, don’t you remember? When I was afraid - of taking things too quickly, of what people would say, you always knew. We’re here because of you, Robb Stark,” she kissed him and after all these years he’d never grown tired of it, never even really grown used to it.

 

He pulled her closer and danced with his cheek against hers, his darling girl.

 

He felt her holding him a little tighter and he asked, “Are you alright?”

 

She smiled, “Just my old knees.”

 

“We can sit down,” he noted.

 

“I’d like to dance,” she said, “I just need to lean on you a little bit. Just until the song is over, is that alright?”

 

“Sure, sweetheart,” he nodded, holding her tighter, “Whatever you want. You know that.”


End file.
